Mordel's Bar & Grill
Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit
 Pages (2): « [1] 2 »
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Mordel's Bar & Grill Forum Index » General Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Karagin
Imperial Karagin Army
Imperial General
Imperial General


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4120
Location: United States
PostPosted: 23-Jul-2017 15:24    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Looks like with the Robotech movie actually getting some traction HG is at it again going after Battletech:

dockets.justia.com/docket/washington/wawdce/2:2017cv00327/242820
_________________
Karagin
Only the dead have seen the end of war. - Plato

"Wasted trip Man. Nobody said nuthin' about lockin' horns with no tigers." Oddball
Back to top View profile Send site message Send e-mail
Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Mr. Referee


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5791
Location: United States
PostPosted: 23-Jul-2017 16:27    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Yah, just read this. ugg.
_________________
one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.



//^(^_^)^\\
Back to top View profile Send site message Visit website
Kraken
Federated Suns
Marshal
Marshal


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2755
Location: United States
PostPosted: 24-Jul-2017 02:09    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Here's the actual suit:

www.unitedstatescourts.org/federal/wawd/242820/1-0.html

HG is claiming that several designs used by Piranha and Hare-Brained Schemes are derivative of the Macross designs.

However...

drive.google.com/file/d/0B10Fl0TpcR6KQkROcGI4dmZ2RTQ/view

HBS has already filed their answer to the charges.

1. HBS points out that HG is claiming they got the rights from Tatsunoko, but Tatsunoko's own rights to the series have been in dispute.

2. HBS has also pointed out that the three designs HG says they're using are *not* derivative. The designs in question are the Atlas (which HG says is ripped from the Armored Veritech rather than the Crusader), the Shadow Hawk (which is ripped from Fang of the Sun: Dougram, not Macross) and a third mech whose name escapes me right now.

Based on this, I think it's pretty clear that HBS intends to stand its ground legally, something that could well open HG up to a counter-suit if this persists.
_________________
"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." -Edgar Allen Poe"I knew there was something special about you, but I never realized you were really a cat." Wolfwood to a random cat (Trigun)
Back to top View profile Send site message Twitter Username
Stinger07
The Quickscell Company
Head Engineer
Head Engineer


Joined: 11-Mar-2015 09:52
Posts: 265
Location: United States
PostPosted: 24-Jul-2017 11:34    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

It looks like they updated the suit to cover Combat Manual: Mercenaries and Catalyst and the original filing had them complaining at just HBS and Piranha.

HBS is solid in that they have avoided using Robotech based designs for most of what they are working on. The other two might have more issues...
Back to top View profile Send site message Visit website
Talen
Capellan Confederation
Sang-shao
Sang-shao


Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1269
Location: United States
PostPosted: 18-Aug-2017 10:42    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

FWIW, HBS also is getting some backing from Paradox which makes them a lot less easy to take on than in the past, especially with more years of HG's lawsuits being dismissed.
_________________
"Historians exercise great power and some of them know it. They recreate the past, changing it to fit their own interpretations. Thus, they change the future as well." - Leto II
Back to top View profile Send site message Send e-mail
Mordel
Mordel.Net
Administrator
Administrator


Joined: 03-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 6087
Location: United States
PostPosted: 18-Aug-2017 13:40    Post subject: Re: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Talen wrote:
FWIW, HBS also is getting some backing from Paradox which makes them a lot less easy to take on than in the past, especially with more years of HG's lawsuits being dismissed.


What do you mean by backing? Not like I'm following this closely, but I do like to have some info.
_________________
Mordel Blacknight - Site Administrator
Back to top View profile Send site message Send e-mail Visit website Facebook Username Twitter Username Steam Custom URL
Kraken
Federated Suns
Marshal
Marshal


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2755
Location: United States
PostPosted: 19-Aug-2017 22:57    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

At this point, I still hope that Hasbro & everyone else HG's gone after wrongly can be motivated to get involved.

The big thing is that Hasbro's long-time Japanese partner is Takara-Tomy. T-T owns majority stake in Tatsunoko Pro, and so T-T is tangentially involved in all of this anyway. That's *on top of* HG's failed efforts to sue Hasbro a few years ago because HG felt a convention-exclusive offering was based on a Veritech design.

Hasbro has the resources to effectively swallow HG whole and spit out the bones. Or, failing that, at least force HG to finally transfer the rights to "Robotech" to someone else... like Hasbro themselves. Hasbro's been pretty good about maintaining their properties on the whole, and they switched to a standardized body construction for their humanoid action figures that might allow for them to quickly crank out a toy line from existing parts; if nothing else, those 12-inch figures they keep pushing on everyone would actually be in scale to the 4-inch Joe-style body blanks.
_________________
"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." -Edgar Allen Poe"I knew there was something special about you, but I never realized you were really a cat." Wolfwood to a random cat (Trigun)
Back to top View profile Send site message Twitter Username
Sir Henry
Team Bansai
Senior Tech Specialist
Senior Tech Specialist


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4899
Location: United States
PostPosted: 20-Aug-2017 21:40    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Some should step on them and be done with it...
Twisted Evil Twisted Evil
_________________
Sir Henry

A Dragon in the disguise of a bunny, is still a Dragon.
Back to top View profile Send site message Send e-mail
Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Mr. Referee


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5791
Location: United States
PostPosted: 20-Aug-2017 22:58    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrfOtJyJpM
_________________
one must work hard to cultivate the mind and body. and one must always cultivate the mind.



//^(^_^)^\\
Back to top View profile Send site message Visit website
Kraken
Federated Suns
Marshal
Marshal


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2755
Location: United States
PostPosted: 14-Apr-2018 02:23    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

drive.google.com/file/d/1_33WnIpLEADui_Rh6dqSqtOKgNWRveWQ/view

HG withdrew the portion of the suit against HBS... *with prejudice*.

HBS is still out the legal fees, but... I think they're in a better position to afford that than HG at this point.
_________________
"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." -Edgar Allen Poe"I knew there was something special about you, but I never realized you were really a cat." Wolfwood to a random cat (Trigun)
Back to top View profile Send site message Twitter Username
Kraken
Federated Suns
Marshal
Marshal


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2755
Location: United States
PostPosted: 18-Apr-2018 17:16    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Actual tech lawyer looking at Piranha Games' response to HG's legal suit:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE1nOjj23C4
_________________
"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." -Edgar Allen Poe"I knew there was something special about you, but I never realized you were really a cat." Wolfwood to a random cat (Trigun)
Back to top View profile Send site message Twitter Username
Sir Henry
Team Bansai
Senior Tech Specialist
Senior Tech Specialist


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 4899
Location: United States
PostPosted: 18-Apr-2018 19:14    Post subject: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Wish HG would just go away...
_________________
Sir Henry

A Dragon in the disguise of a bunny, is still a Dragon.
Back to top View profile Send site message Send e-mail
Mordel
Mordel.Net
Administrator
Administrator


Joined: 03-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 6087
Location: United States
PostPosted: 19-Apr-2018 15:15    Post subject: Re: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Sir Henry wrote:
Wish HG would just go away...


Eventually they will. If not after this lawsuit, then definitely after 2021.
_________________
Mordel Blacknight - Site Administrator
Back to top View profile Send site message Send e-mail Visit website Facebook Username Twitter Username Steam Custom URL
Kraken
Federated Suns
Marshal
Marshal


Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 2755
Location: United States
PostPosted: 19-Apr-2018 19:02    Post subject: Re: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Mordel wrote:
Sir Henry wrote:
Wish HG would just go away...


Eventually they will. If not after this lawsuit, then definitely after 2021.


Sadly, even then they'll still be around.

HG is actually a conglomerate, and Robotech is merely their entertainment division. This may be why Hasbro didn't retaliate by buying them up: they'd have been left with businesses in ventures they wanted nothing to do with.
_________________
"I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat." -Edgar Allen Poe"I knew there was something special about you, but I never realized you were really a cat." Wolfwood to a random cat (Trigun)
Back to top View profile Send site message Twitter Username
Mordel
Mordel.Net
Administrator
Administrator


Joined: 03-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 6087
Location: United States
PostPosted: 20-Apr-2018 13:23    Post subject: Re: Harmony Gold up to it's old tricks again with new lawsuit Reply to topic Reply with quote

Kraken wrote:
Mordel wrote:
Sir Henry wrote:
Wish HG would just go away...


Eventually they will. If not after this lawsuit, then definitely after 2021.


Sadly, even then they'll still be around.

HG is actually a conglomerate, and Robotech is merely their entertainment division. This may be why Hasbro didn't retaliate by buying them up: they'd have been left with businesses in ventures they wanted nothing to do with.


Right. I was referring more to them going away with relation to our area. They'll still be around, but won't have the license or anything anymore with which they can sue people over.
_________________
Mordel Blacknight - Site Administrator
Back to top View profile Send site message Send e-mail Visit website Facebook Username Twitter Username Steam Custom URL
Display posts from previous:
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Mordel's Bar & Grill Forum Index » General Discussion All times are GMT-05:00
 Pages (2): « [1] 2 »

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum