Comments on: News: MechWarrior reboot in licensing blunder

By: Prrrowr

Prrrowr — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 14:06:57 +0000

Only one answer for this debacle:

Macross – Battletech – Dougram Crossover!!!

By: Cacophanus

Cacophanus — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 22:32:42 +0000

Not quite, as you gloss over the initial and substantial rights issues between Harmony Gold and Big West/Tatsunoko/Bandai and the problem isn’t just related to Macross either. As the above pictures show; FASA ripped off Dougram too.

By: Firewolf

Firewolf — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:42:34 +0000

In point of Fact, The court case was set up by Harmony Gold and Palaldium Games, instigated by Kevin Siembieda of Palladium Games, the gaming company wich had secured the rights for the Robotech RPG from Harmony Gold. Based on the sole idea that since HG had the sole rights to use the Macross footage in this country and that Palladium had secured the license for the game from HG, they were the only possible licensee in this country.

HOWEVER. When Battledroids/Battletech came out in the mid 80′s they had secured the licenses from the ORIGNAL Japanese owners of the images.

In point of Fact FASA had a really good case and if they had decided to actually fight the case out to the very end, had a terrific chance of winning. But FASA was a small company despite their relative success, and the whole gaming industry was in a problematic place at the time.
So it would have destoryed the company financially when it could least afford the expensive court case. So they surrundered their claims to the images willingly, and went about creatign new ones. In point of fact recently they regianed the licenses for everything BUT the so-called Macross 13.

Whoever wrote this article made it sound like FASA was intellectual property thieves, they were nothing even remotely like it. The Japanese owners of the properties did a deal that in the end had no real weight to it.
My reccomendation is for the authors & publishers of this article to research the topic material and actually print the truth. Not this slanted tripe.

By: Cacophanus

Cacophanus — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 06:47:52 +0000

That’s because FASA sorted the legal issues out eventually. However, when MechWarrior was sold to Microsoft the legal issues resurfaced as they haven’t paid for the rights to use these mecha.

By: fearthefuture

fearthefuture — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 03:33:45 +0000

i heard that the original battletech game had permission to use those mech but when fasa bought the game they didn’t get or thought that the models were included. so the lawsuit. I have a huge stash of the “lawsuit mechs” they are great!

By: Cacophanus

Cacophanus — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:29:15 +0000

Indeed, almost all the original designs were directly copied from a number of anime series. The Marauder

…was actually the Glaug from Macross…

…and, my favourite, was the Shadowhawk actually being…

…the Dougram – with much of the mecha’s base capabilities forming the backbone of BattleTech’s ruleset…

By: Cacophanus

Cacophanus — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:28:25 +0000

Indeed, almost all the original designs were directly copied from a number of anime series. The Marauder

…was actually the Glaug from Macross…

…and, my favourite, was the Shadowhawk actually being…

…the Dougram – with much of the mecha’s base capabilities forming the backbone of BattleTech’s ruleset…

By: Elijah

Elijah — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:41:22 +0000

They just took what FASA already stole and brought it forward. This isn’t the only mech either. Should look at the Marauder if I remember correctly…

By: Cacophanus

Cacophanus — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 22:27:25 +0000

This is the Tomahawk from Macross…

…and this is the Warhammer from BattleTech

It’s no wonder they got sued (and lost)!

By: Clint Duskin

Clint Duskin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:51:19 +0000

So which automobile company is going to sue who for having 4 tires on the ground? I can only see simularities in the mechs. I think some cars look alike also.