1809 replies to this topic

[oldradagast]

This whole thing is downright depressing. Harmony Gold destroys everything they touch, and has been the anchor around the neck of Battletech for decades. In some alternate world - one where Harmony Gold folded years ago - we'd have Battletech being more mainstream, and we'd all be happier for it.

I hope HG gets wrecked in this stupid lawsuit. The risk to all things Mechwarrior and Battletech is too great... Heck, I was considered buying the Rifleman hero on sale, but now, what's the point? It'll probably get removed from my account in a few months because of HG's legal games. Ugh...

[ScrapIron Prime]

oldradagast, on 28 July 2017 - 06:41 AM, said:

I hope HG gets wrecked in this stupid lawsuit. The risk to all things Mechwarrior and Battletech is too great...

Agreed.

oldradagast, on 28 July 2017 - 06:41 AM, said:

Heck, I was considered buying the Rifleman hero on sale, but now, what's the point? It'll probably get removed from my account in a few months because of HG's legal games. Ugh...

Nah, if that happens, PGI would issue a replacement mech for anything we can't use anymore, same stats perhaps different hitboxes just because of a new model. The Rifleman would get the Lancelot, the Archer would get the Bombardier, etc.

Assuming PGI isn't financially ruined by HG and has to shut down, of course... Damn copyright trolls.

[Marauder3D]

ScrapIron Prime, on 28 July 2017 - 07:34 AM, said:

Nah, if that happens, PGI would issue a replacement mech for anything we can't use anymore, same stats perhaps different hitboxes just because of a new model. The Rifleman would get the Lancelot, the Archer would get the Bombardier, etc.

Actually, I hope they would just change the artwork. The last thing I want to do is lose the five mechs in this game that come from Macross: Marauder, Warhammer, Rifleman, Archer, and Phoenix Hawk. So change the artwork a good bit, and you're fine. Keep the mechs, just change the art so it doesn't seem like a rip off.

[Chados]

oldradagast, on 28 July 2017 - 06:41 AM, said:

This whole thing is downright depressing. Harmony Gold destroys everything they touch, and has been the anchor around the neck of Battletech for decades. In some alternate world - one where Harmony Gold folded years ago - we'd have Battletech being more mainstream, and we'd all be happier for it.

I hope HG gets wrecked in this stupid lawsuit. The risk to all things Mechwarrior and Battletech is too great... Heck, I was considered buying the Rifleman hero on sale, but now, what's the point? It'll probably get removed from my account in a few months because of HG's legal games. Ugh...

This is precisely why I'm about to drop $40 on the Warhammer collector pack. It's the only Unseen I had no interest in, but I think I need a WHM-6R(S). Because it'll stick a thumb in HG's eye and support PGI. And there's enough Black Widows out there, plus I don't like spiders.

[Metus regem]

Chados, on 28 July 2017 - 08:32 AM, said:

This is precisely why I'm about to drop $40 on the Warhammer collector pack. It's the only Unseen I had no interest in, but I think I need a WHM-6R(S). Because it'll stick a thumb in HG's eye and support PGI. And there's enough Black Widows out there, plus I don't like spiders.

Having both the Black Widow and the 6R, I like the 6R more.

[Chados]

I can see why! I ran the 6R tonight and I like it very much. I never was a Warhammer girl back in Multiplayer Online Battletech days-I was a Rifleman driver. My old pals Black Hat and A-ko tried forever to get me into the WHM, it was the meta-mech in MPBT, with the 3D Marauder the close second. I'm now thinking they were maybe onto something. You're never too old to learn new tricks.

On the Alpha Lance specials, if you add white to the primary color channel and,leave everything else alone, you get a perfect replica of the color scheme for the 1st Knights of the Inner Sphere, a Lore-based FWLM unit. I enjoy recreating Lore unit liveries

Oh, and in your ear, HG.

[C4NC3R]

Looking at all this... just don't throw tomatoes and potatoes at me... I am just wondering:

- Is there any sense to keep in hold intellectual property when no one cannot benefit from it in intellectual way? What for, draw a picture that'll never be shown to the public, and only you keeper of IP will see how your work will collect the dust alone.

As more I saw such things happening, as more I'll turn to Marxists-Commies side.

Edited by C4NC3R, 29 July 2017 - 09:17 AM.

[CMDR Sunset Shimmer]

Dee Eight, on 27 July 2017 - 07:20 PM, said:

FASA doesn't exist anymore and any deals made with them are null and void.

Their argument will be Wiseman IS FASA... I guarentee it. Pretty sure they named Him in the original case.

Edited by CMDR Sunset Shimmer, 29 July 2017 - 10:15 AM.

[Trev Firestorm]

CMDR Sunset Shimmer, on 29 July 2017 - 10:11 AM, said:

Their argument will be Wiseman IS FSAS... I guarentee it. Pretty sure they named Him in the original case.

Regardless the original deal should be invalid due to the fact that they do not legally hold the copyrights they are claiming because they acquired the distro right illegally in the first place.

[CMDR Sunset Shimmer]

Trev Firestorm, on 29 July 2017 - 10:15 AM, said:

Regardless the original deal should be invalid due to the fact that they do not legally hold the copyrights they are claiming because they acquired the distro right illegally in the first place.

Oh I 100% agree, see my earlier posts in the thread. HG has 0 legal leg to stand on... by next year, if they actually try to make this happen, they'll be dead, and battletech can FINALLY be free of them.

[CuriousCabbitBlue]

Yeonne Greene, on 23 July 2017 - 12:11 PM, said:

And on what leg are they going to stand, this time? The 'Mechs have been redesigned. They don't look at all like their original versions, except maybe the Rifleman but that's a stretch.

that an in the japanese courts the company harmony gold got their rights from was found to not even have those rights exactly

[MustrumRidcully]

At what point will we know some factual decision?

[Andi Nagasia]

CuriousCabbitBlue, on 29 July 2017 - 10:42 AM, said:

that an in the japanese courts the company harmony gold got their rights from was found to not even have those rights exactly

Harmony Gold originally bought the International Distribution Rights for
(Super Dimension Fortress Macross) (Southern Cross) and (MOSPEADA)
-
because Harmony Gold couldnt make a Full Season out of Macross as they didnt have enough Episodes,
they Merged these 3 Anime(which had nothing in common) into one Anime series, they then called RoboTech,
so before HG bought the International Distribution rights for the above 3 anime they were 3 different Anime universes,

when it came out that Harmony Gold got the Rights for (Southern Cross) and (MOSPEADA) illegally,
HG then Claimed that they still own (Southern Cross) and (MOSPEADA) because they are apart of RoboTech,
this didnt hold water and so Japan Courts said HG has no Rights to (Southern Cross) and (MOSPEADA)

HG of course says they dont care what the Courts say as it wasnt an international Court,
althought due to they having bought the rights illegally they dont have the rights, but are glossing over the Ruling,

as of now Harmony Gold only owns the International rights toys and Characters of (Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
Studio Nue owns (Southern Cross) and (MOSPEADA), fully and no rights to these belong to Harmony Gold,


the reason Harmony Gold seems to be using only the old Artwork for their lawsuit,
is that, using anything from (Southern Cross) or (MOSPEADA) they dont own will cost them their Rights over RoboTech,

[Juodas Varnas]

MustrumRidcully, on 29 July 2017 - 11:34 AM, said:

At what point will we know some factual decision?

When we log in and find that our Marauders and Warhammers are gone?

I'm kidding, just kidding.

But we'll probably be in the dark for quite some time, probably until this whole nonsense blows over.

[Alek Ituin]

Anjian, on 28 July 2017 - 03:04 AM, said:

The mecha themselves will not stand the test of being a valid copyright because ORIGINALITY is a requirement for copyright. Even at the time Macross was made, there were already tons of giant robots in other anime and TV shows, plus the fact that when the mechs are in their plane mode, those planes like the F-14 Tomcat are owned by Grumman who is now owned by Northrop as Northrop Grumman. Those "Veritech" fighters simply cannot be copyrighted because they look like actual planes whose designs themselves are already copyrighted by the defense companies.

I would f**king DIE if Northrop Grumman decided to turn around and smack HG with a lawsuit for "stealing" the design of the F-14. HG's legal resources aren't even a drop in the ocean compared to defense contractors like Northrop or Lockheed... It wouldn't be a legal battle so much as a quaint formality before they're forced out of business.

[Alan Davion]

Dee Eight, on 27 July 2017 - 07:20 PM, said:

FASA doesn't exist anymore and any deals made with them are null and void.

Trev Firestorm, on 29 July 2017 - 10:15 AM, said:

Regardless the original deal should be invalid due to the fact that they do not legally hold the copyrights they are claiming because they acquired the distro right illegally in the first place.

So by that logic, because IGP no longer exists does that mean the deal with the Project Phoenix mechs for MWO to never be sold again is invalid?

Because some people around here would try and claim exactly the opposite.

This is why I hate this kind of legal finagling.

[Mystere]

C4NC3R, on 29 July 2017 - 09:17 AM, said:

Looking at all this... just don't throw tomatoes and potatoes at me... I am just wondering:

- Is there any sense to keep in hold intellectual property when no one cannot benefit from it in intellectual way? What for, draw a picture that'll never be shown to the public, and only you keeper of IP will see how your work will collect the dust alone.

As more I saw such things happening, as more I'll turn to Marxists-Commies side.

You've heard of patent trolls, right?

[Trev Firestorm]

Alan Davion, on 29 July 2017 - 04:23 PM, said:

So by that logic, because IGP no longer exists does that mean the deal with the Project Phoenix mechs for MWO to never be sold again is invalid?

Because some people around here would try and claim exactly the opposite.

This is why I hate this kind of legal finagling.

Not sure why you quote me in that, as I said, HG acquired the rights to distro illegally therefore their claim to copyright is invalid. That being so the premise of the deal was invalid thus the original deal as a whole is invalid.

[Alan Davion]

Trev Firestorm, on 29 July 2017 - 05:17 PM, said:

Not sure why you quote me in that, as I said, HG acquired the rights to distro illegally therefore their claim to copyright is invalid. That being so the premise of the deal was invalid thus the original deal as a whole is invalid.

I quoted you because of your bit about "the original deal" in your post. Mostly just as a way of pointing out that's a slippery slope to be going down, and I used the example of the Phoenix mechs in MWO for that reason.

Basically if someone says X deal is invalid for Y reason, there will inevitably be someone somewhere that thinks otherwise, like what Dee Eight said about FASA not existing anymore, hence my second reason for using the Phoenix mechs as an example.

[Anjian]

Alek Ituin, on 29 July 2017 - 12:47 PM, said:

I would f**king DIE if Northrop Grumman decided to turn around and smack HG with a lawsuit for "stealing" the design of the F-14. HG's legal resources aren't even a drop in the ocean compared to defense contractors like Northrop or Lockheed... It wouldn't be a legal battle so much as a quaint formality before they're forced out of business.

The fact that they included the Locust and the Atlas also makes it a look and feel lawsuit, and Japanese media companies looking to distribute their anime and mecha related merchandise is going to take a hard look at this one. That's going to attract the ire of companies like Bandai, Studio Sunrise and Kadokawa. Japanese mecha as you may have noticed, tend to copy themselves across the board so there is similarities lets say, a Gundam to the Valkryie, or for that matter, a lot of Shoji Kawamori's designs are similar, whether its the original Transformers to Armored Core.