Interplay - Yet More Legal Dramas

Ausir writes that another batch of court documents from the ongoing Bethsoft vs Interplay drama reveals Bethsoft is arguing Interplay has the right to use the Fallout name for their MMO (and back catalogue distribution etc) - but nothing else. From The Vault:

Among other things, Interplay asserts that "Bethesda has breached its agreements with Interplay by refusing to allow Interplay the right to use the Fallout related intellectual property assets". However, Bethesda lawyers now claim that when Interplay licensed the rights to develop and publish Fallout Online from Bethesda back in 2007, it actually never had the rights to use any elements of the Fallout universe and Fallout games aside from the title Fallout itself.

More information.

Interplay would probably not have signed a worthless contract even in times of financial duress, so it seems like a rather outlandish claim. Looks to me like unworthy behaviour; plus the lawyers must be desperate.

Bethsoft's lawyers are really starting to look like desperate hacks. Do they expect a judge to believe that Interplay negotiated the rights to develop Fallout Online so they could make a Pokemon game?

They thought they could rip off Interplay and get the FO license without giving up the MMO. They were wrong. They ought to get over it. I personally don't think the MMO is going to hurt their bottom line. Look at all the crap product the franchise has survived already.

Who would you rather have holding the Fallout license? Bethesda who would actually do something with it, and already have, or the hacks who run Interplay and that are having a good time running a once-reputable company further into the ground?

Bethesda are fighting over it tooth-and-nail for a good reason, in my opinion. They can make buckets of money from it, and I wish them every success doing so. Even if they are being desperate, Interplay did have a deal to live upto and they've seemingly not taken it as seriously as they could.

To me it reads as if Interplay were given an essay to write over a month for Bethesda, but instead of using that month to make a really good go of it, they wrote it on the bus in the way to class.

Among other things, Interplay asserts that "Bethesda has breached its agreements with Interplay by refusing to allow Interplay the right to use the Fallout related intellectual property assets".

This look like Interplay started a new legal battle here, not Bethesda. They want Bethesda to give them access to the assets they have from the old games, Fallout 3 and New Vegas for their MMO. Bethesda said no and now Interplay is crying because it mean they will have to make content for their MMO and they will not finish it in their allowed time frame (the game need to release in 2012 per their legal contract).

Originally Posted by coyote
Interplay would probably not have signed a worthless contract even in times of financial duress, so it seems like a rather outlandish claim.

Once mighty Interplay is now an empty husk animated by some corporate players. Look it up man, it`s truly disgusting

Originally Posted by Dwagginz
Who would you rather have holding the Fallout license? Bethesda who would actually do something with it, and already have, or the hacks who run Interplay and that are having a good time running a once-reputable company further into the ground?

What I would rather have is a world where contracts are honored as they are written. I'm not going to cheer Bethesda on for trying to rob another company of the rights they mutually agreed to. I don't know all the details of this latest dispute, but that's how the last one, which Bethesda lost, read to me.

Originally Posted by screeg
What I would rather have is a world where contracts are honored as they are written. I'm not going to cheer Bethesda on for trying to rob another company of the rights they mutually agreed to. I don't know all the details of this latest dispute, but that's how the last one, which Bethesda lost, read to me.

How can Bethesda be robbing Interplay of the rights if Bethesda own them?

The legal world is full of fighting like this, and no amount of wishing will change that. Interplay are dicking around, though, and judging by their current performance and release schedule (i.e. bugger all) then I think it's fair to say that Bethesda should do everything they can to try to remedy the situation.

Truth be told, I think Interplay should be disbanded and forgotten. There's no way the current form will ever live up to the standards of Brian Fargo's Interplay (Even his own inXile Entertainment seem to be doing better), and the current heads haven't got a clue.