79 replies to this topic

[kesmai]

I dabbled into the rights thing.
The thing that is really unclear is the fact that :
•FASA corp never ceased to exist or was sold. Owner: Easy to guess
•All those sold licenses seem to be the one FASA corp licensed to FASA studio FASA interactive FASA inc.
It is just unclear if Weisman still holds any rudimentary or basic rights on battletech. It could well be that in all that corporate limited liability company intellectual property deals jungle only the right to produce something was sold.
It is also unclear what sidecontract the wizkids/topps deal had. Although the employment contract for Weisman as a employee of topps is available on the webz (boring legal stuff).
Clearly he had not a problem to get the license for his smith&tinker company right after the employment contract with topps ended.
So who knows, Jordan Weisman might still own some rights on battletch...


http://contracts.one...p.2003.07.shtml
http://contracts.one...006.06.20.shtml

Edited by kesmai, 11 August 2016 - 10:32 AM.

[Steinar Bergstol]

Another thing to consider when it comes to a software developer selling physical merchandise is this: Producing, selling and shipping physical items is _not_ cheap or easy. In fact, if you do not have the whole process already set up then it can be a bloody hassle, just ask pretty much every kickstarted game which offered physical rewards. Having followed more than a few my takeaway from what every one of them has said is that it pretty much cost more than it was worth to them due to the time and hassle it involved getting Things designed, produced and then dealing with shipping and customs.

[Dee Eight]

Almost as weird how BT licensing has ended up since FASA's demise as how the macross property turned out after the court battle finally happened. Essentially Harmony Gold "lost" all the rights they kept claiming they had, other than the international broadcast rights for the original first macross tv series, but which did not include any series or movies or OVAs that came afterwards, and certainly not ownership of the art work and characters and fictional concepts (so they can broadcast robotech, but they can't actually sell robotech toys based on the macross art, nor can they stop anyone else from licensing the macross art for other formats other than tv broadcasts).

[kesmai]

Dee Eight, on 11 August 2016 - 05:05 AM, said:

Almost as weird how BT licensing has ended up since FASA's demise as how the macross property turned out after the court battle finally happened. Essentially Harmony Gold "lost" all the rights they kept claiming they had, other than the international broadcast rights for the original first macross tv series, but which did not include any series or movies or OVAs that came afterwards, and certainly not ownership of the art work and characters and fictional concepts (so they can broadcast robotech, but they can't actually sell robotech toys based on the macross art, nor can they stop anyone else from licensing the macross art for other formats other than tv broadcasts).

Except that harmony gold isn´t harmony gold anymore, but sony.
and sony want´s to do a robotech movie...

[TKSax]

ThomasMarik, on 10 August 2016 - 09:31 PM, said:

Then what is stopping PGI from making merchandise from their artwork?

I'm not personally interested in buying mugs or shirts. I just find it odd thatntheu couldn't offer this kind of stuff when everyone else appears to be able too.

Because PGI is a large company that needs rights to do it legally. NGNG is a fan site that is not using PGI/Battletech artwork to make thier stuff.

[Metus regem]

TKSax, on 11 August 2016 - 09:40 AM, said:

Because PGI is a large company that needs rights to do it legally. NGNG is a fan site that is not using PGI/Battletech artwork to make thier stuff.

https://www.amazon.c...+Guts+No+Galaxy

Are you so sure about that?

Sure looks like PGI's art on shirts being sold by NGNG.....

[kesmai]

Metus regem, on 11 August 2016 - 09:51 AM, said:

https://www.amazon.c...+Guts+No+Galaxy

Are you so sure about that?

Sure looks like PGI's art on shirts being sold by NGNG.....

*ngng might get through because they go with a small business and this is tolerated.
*maybe the they asked the rights holder and they said yeah, ok it´s fine.
*what ngng does is illegal, but it doesnt matter because the right holder(s) don´t know it.
*noone cares

choose one of the above.

[Metus regem]

kesmai, on 11 August 2016 - 10:11 AM, said:

*ngng might get through because they go with a small business and this is tolerated.
*maybe the they asked the rights holder and they said yeah, ok it´s fine.
*what ngng does is illegal, but it doesnt matter because the right holder(s) don´t know it.
*noone cares

choose one of the above.

I'm going to with option C, that it is illegal, but Topps hasn't caught on yet.

[ScrapIron Prime]

Believe me, I'd love to get a 20 cm tall resin Centurion for my desk at home, because the MWO sculpt is just that pretty. But I can't because licensing. =(

[TKSax]

Metus regem, on 11 August 2016 - 09:51 AM, said:

https://www.amazon.c...+Guts+No+Galaxy

Are you so sure about that?

Sure looks like PGI's art on shirts being sold by NGNG.....

From what I remember when I asked Phil about it a few years ago.

Yes the look like PGI's designs, but they do have an artist who actually "creates" the designs and then they get them printed on a shirt. So ngng owns the artwork so they can make shirts.

Next Time I see him I will ask again.

Edited by TKSax, 11 August 2016 - 10:52 AM.

[Tordin]

I would be happy to see any Battletech merchandise be ready for purchase from any involved, once the lisence clustercluck is sorted out sometimes in the future...

Being totally futuristic here. Part of the Battletech liscence could be, well liscenced to military all over the world, sparking creation of real life mechs!I surely would join the military for a chance to pilot a mech! And yes it can and will be possible, we humans are a testament to overcome any technical fantasies and obstacles

[Metus regem]

Tordin, on 11 August 2016 - 11:07 AM, said:

I would be happy to see any Battletech merchandise be ready for purchase from any involved, once the lisence clustercluck is sorted out sometimes in the future...

Being totally futuristic here. Part of the Battletech liscence could be, well liscenced to military all over the world, sparking creation of real life mechs!I surely would join the military for a chance to pilot a mech! And yes it can and will be possible, we humans are a testament to overcome any technical fantasies and obstacles

Mechs are bad combat vehicles, too many vulnerabilities. They have all the weaknesses of tanks, but very few of the advantages.

[dervishx5]

I'll put some of my stuff up for sale on the eBays when it arrives.

[Zolaz]

Hmmm ... the only tshirts I am interested in buying all stem from being a bitter vet.

An "Im on an island" tshirt. A googley eyed PGI logo with its tongue stuck out saying "We know best". A t shirt cataloging, with a timeline, all of false promises and bad implementation. A "Carry Harder" tshirt with the Atlas pushing a boulder up a hill with a lance of dead mechs lashed to him with Arty and Air strikes raining down.

[jss78]

Zolaz, on 11 August 2016 - 12:27 PM, said:

Hmmm ... the only tshirts I am interested in buying all stem from being a bitter vet.

An "Im on an island" tshirt. A googley eyed PGI logo with its tongue stuck out saying "We know best". A t shirt cataloging, with a timeline, all of false promises and bad implementation. A "Carry Harder" tshirt with the Atlas pushing a boulder up a hill with a lance of dead mechs lashed to him with Arty and Air strikes raining down.

David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd fame) has an album by this name, so this one's easy

Spoiler

Also a generic one:

Edited by jss78, 11 August 2016 - 01:05 PM.

[Mechwarrior1441491]

That's why we don't have mwo mech plushies with detachable limbs and gear.

[zagibu]

Metus regem, on 11 August 2016 - 11:26 AM, said:

Mechs are bad combat vehicles, too many vulnerabilities. They have all the weaknesses of tanks, but very few of the advantages.

That's true, but they would be fantastic support units. A heavy lifter with legs that can basically move in any terrain? But it would probably be completely computer-controlled and not piloted by a man, and probably have more than 2 legs.

[Metus regem]

zagibu, on 11 August 2016 - 01:26 PM, said:

That's true, but they would be fantastic support units. A heavy lifter with legs that can basically move in any terrain? But it would probably be completely computer-controlled and not piloted by a man, and probably have more than 2 legs.

Still a bad choice, two words:

Ground
Pressure

Despite a M1A2 Abrams being 72 short tons (65t), it actually has a very low ground pressure, around 15.5 pounds per square inch, no Mech will ever have a ground pressure that low... For example a human male (1.8m tall) should have around 8psi for ground pressure...

[kesmai]

Metus regem, on 11 August 2016 - 01:42 PM, said:

Still a bad choice, two words:

Ground
Pressure

Despite a M1A2 Abrams being 72 short tons (65t), it actually has a very low ground pressure, around 15.5 pounds per square inch, no Mech will ever have a ground pressure that low... For example a human male (1.8m tall) should have around 8psi for ground pressure...

Buut, but
space magic, ya know...

[zagibu]

Metus regem, on 11 August 2016 - 01:42 PM, said:

Despite a M1A2 Abrams being 72 short tons (65t), it actually has a very low ground pressure, around 15.5 pounds per square inch, no Mech will ever have a ground pressure that low... For example a human male (1.8m tall) should have around 8psi for ground pressure...

Well, if they are support units, they don't have to be 50+ tons and 12 meters tall. Also, a support walker with six legs could have an okay ground pressure, certainly not as low as a tank, but a tank can't navigate complex terrain.