Shredhead, on 07 April 2015 - 10:36 AM, said:
They didn't steal anything, they had paid for licenses. Only that US courts couldn't decide if the patent trolling scumbags from HG really held a viable license in the first place.
IIRC - and it's enough of a convoluted mess that I'm not sure anyone not directly involved knows for certain - FASA licensed some Macross artwork fair and square by (one of) the then-property holder. At about the same time, HG licensed all of Macross from the other property holder, who then took the first property-holder to (Japanese) court over the rights to distribute Macross overseas. The Japanese court decided in the favour of the second property-holder, which meant that the license FASA had acquired was now invalid - even though the company they licensed it from still had the right to license it; just not overseas.
(I'll skip the part here where FASA sued HG, HG sued FASA, and move on with the licensing bit)
FASA replaced all Macross (and Crusher Joe and Dougram) 'mechs with Reseen, as well as introducing new 'mechs (e.g. the Flea) to replace the Unseen.
A few more years down the line, the Crusher Joe and Dougram art was re-licensed which is why we can have our Phoenix 'mechs.
So far though, HG seems to have no intention of licensing the Macross artwork, and it is becoming more and more dubious whether or not they actually have the rights in the first place; but nobody wants to try that, because they're still litigious bastiches and the court costs would be more than any gain that could be had from getting our beloved 'mechs back - sadly.