110 replies to this topic

[cossieuk]

Seems WB want to control everything game related to LOTR as they have sent a cease and desist letter to those making the Middle Earth mod for Skyrim

http://www.pcgamer.c...ase-and-desist/

[Ardraug]

Absolute bullshit.. and a sign of terror because they KNOW they've messed up LOTRO so far that even the slightest competition could lose them the remaining hardcore players they got (check WB's shark's reply ... "it'll confuse ppl and make them not play our stuff" basically).

Pathetic

[Ardraug]

http://www.gopetitio...te-greed.html   be sure to sign and refer to others

http://www.facebook....warnerbrosent   and join us in going to each LOTR/Tolkien reference on that page and giving them a MERP reference

[LordVorontur]

They might have the rights for games based on LOTR - books and movies, but MERP isn't set during the War of the Ring.
IF any was to send a cease and desist letter, it would be Middle-Earth Enterprises.

Reading the article further, it seems that the developers of the MERP mod doesn't understand what time most of MERP is set during.
Did they not realise that WB would come a-calling if they included storylines from the books?

[Ardraug]

I like how they assume that a player who knows how to install Skyrim then put a mod on it would confuse said mod with a "fully legitimate and signed WB product".

Bottom line: "We can't/don't want to make something of equal quality, but we want all the money for anything related to this"

There's two ways of beating competition:
a) beating them (aka offering something better)
eliminating them (oh too rarely done by clean means)

http://forums.lotro....-we-can-explore
(saved a copy just in case)

[Darmokk]

Don't know about you but it's the first time I heard about this mod. Gotta check it out

Well they are acting like they own the LotR "brand" (their words, not mine).

[Doro]

I thought you could make what you like about something, providing it's not for profit?

Also, You are signer #8053.

[Trinsec]

#8105

[cossieuk]

Why dont they just change the setting to the 2nd age of Middle Earth or even the 4th age as WB have the licence to The Hobbit and LOTR games but not to all of Middle Earth history.

[Doro]

cossieuk, on 09 September 2012 - 11:26, said:

Why dont they just change the setting to the 2nd age of Middle Earth or even the 4th age as WB have the licence to The Hobbit and LOTR games but not to all of Middle Earth history.

If I were them, I'd just make it with all different names to characters and places and then 'accidentally' leak a file that would make the names LotR again...

[Ardraug]

If I were them I'd move the project to some Eastern European server and pay some local kid $50 to write a 5 page "fuck you with a 10-foot cactus" letter to WB (in beautiful cursive calligraphy).

[Laurinaohtar]

Sad how the game industry has changed so much that the creativity of the non-profit making modding community is now being stifled by lawers spouting about owning the intellectual property of a man who has been dead for nearly 40 years. Presumably WB are worried that the modders will do a better job than they ever could with the fantastic IP they "own".

It's also interesting to note that Valve have no problem with the modding community re-creating Half-Life and offering it for free to everyone (http://www.bbc.co.uk...nology-19463712). But then presumably Valve have confidence in there own products.

Also aren't there minecraft and total war lotr mods?

[Ardraug]

At least it's all over the gaming media and preeeetty sure I'm far from the only one who will make sure nothing bought has a WB logo on it.  

As it's been said all over, a smart company would hire those guys to work on their products as a means of removing the competition.  May this PR shitstorm hurt WB as much as possible, they deserve it as much as those Disney twats who sued a public school for painting Mickey Mouse on some kiddy classroom.

[Doro]

Laurinaohtar, on 09 September 2012 - 14:30, said:

Also aren't there minecraft and total war lotr mods?

Yeah, there are. So either WB don't know they exist (which is unlikely) or they specifically targetted MERP because something about it is concerning to them. My guess would be they're planning or in the process of making an Elder Scrolls-style LotR game. If a free mod was made for Skyrim, what reason would people have to buy an expensive new game of the same thing?

I'm getting more and more resentful of Warner Brothers.

[Ardraug]

Doro, on 09 September 2012 - 15:07, said:

I'm getting more and more resentful of Warner Brothers.

I resent the lag and the infractions..... this threatening MERP business plain and purely pisses me off... big time.

[SellingTheDrama]

from what ive gathered the main thing WB was worried about was the inclusion of stuff involving the player as the ring-bearer.

that being said....while i do not like what WB is doing..the real blame is on US copyright laws.
if WB doesnt do a c&d on MERP and down the road a REAL infringement comes along when they take it to court it is likely to not be upheld as WB didnt feel the need to protect their IP in the past (i.e. MERP).

also if i am not mistaken since the tolkien IP is held by an american company it cannot become public domain until 90 years after the professors death which would make it 2063.

[Ardraug]

Looks more like a kneejerk reaction to all the bad press they've been getting over Rohan, the lag, people quitting over their ... let's just stick to calling it "actions" for long story short effect.

Kinda like the school bully beating up on a smaller kid because he's pissy about getting detention the day before for beating up on a smaller kid.

[Laurinaohtar]

SellingTheDrama, on 09 September 2012 - 15:22, said:

that being said....while i do not like what WB is doing..the real blame is on US copyright laws.
if WB doesnt do a c&d on MERP and down the road a REAL infringement comes along when they take it to court it is likely to not be upheld as WB didnt feel the need to protect their IP in the past (i.e. MERP).

All WB needed to do was to allow the modders to do this under some kind of licence. Yes they need to acknowledge infringements but they can also endorse them.

Edit:

I don't see this ending well Doro!

http://forums.lotro....804#post6407804

More infraction on Monday?

[Doro]

Laurinaohtar, on 09 September 2012 - 18:28, said:

Edit:

I don't see this ending well Doro!

http://forums.lotro....804#post6407804

More infraction on Monday?

They can go do one if they think I'll let fanboys get away with snide comments.

Editted profanity.

[Laurinaohtar]

Especially when they are just completely wrong