@DogarandKazon Stardock and the original creators of Star Control 2 are feuding which means lawyers.
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General News - Star Control future is in question
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Ouch. A conflict like this were both sides are confident they are right can only end badly. I hope they manage to settle it before it gets out of hand.
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probably wont' - stardock has gotten pretty high-handed about things in recent years.
Terry
Sentinel
In situations like this usually the side with the most $$$$ wins.
Though if you were making a sequel may be you could have done it like 5 years ago before someone else came along and did some thing like Stardock?
I don't know I guess the legal fight will figure it out.
Though if you were making a sequel may be you could have done it like 5 years ago before someone else came along and did some thing like Stardock?
I don't know I guess the legal fight will figure it out.
"It's our opinion that Atari's rights to publish our earlier games terminated over a decade before the auction and we contend that Stardock has zero rights to our games, including any code and other IP we created."
This sounds weird to me. Opinion? Either Atari owned the rights or they didn't. And if they did and Stardock bought them, well then tough luck. Why would Atari have the right to the name but not the games? That sounds weird too.
It would have been a smarter move from Stardock to just hire the old devs though wouldn't it?
This sounds weird to me. Opinion? Either Atari owned the rights or they didn't. And if they did and Stardock bought them, well then tough luck. Why would Atari have the right to the name but not the games? That sounds weird too.
It would have been a smarter move from Stardock to just hire the old devs though wouldn't it?
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*David Attenborough voice*
Life in the desolate wild is tough, with every blistering sunrise bringing new challenges that result in life, or death. This time however, it is the lawyer and her cubs that will live another day. The carcass of the lawsuit will sustain her for another month and hopefully last until the rains come.
Life in the desolate wild is tough, with every blistering sunrise bringing new challenges that result in life, or death. This time however, it is the lawyer and her cubs that will live another day. The carcass of the lawsuit will sustain her for another month and hopefully last until the rains come.
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My reading is they claimed that Atari purchased a restricted right that expired a decade earlier. If it did then stardock purchased something that the owner didn't own. If it didn't then stardock owns the rights.
Farflame
SasqWatch
It seems that Stardock became dirty company.
- Stardock is blocking Fred and Paul from using any of Star Control's familiar races, locations and names. Stardock now claims they have rights for them.
- But Stardock DIDNT CLAIM anything like that at the start of development of their own game .
- Stardock DONT USE any of these familiar races, locations and names in their own game. I think they simply cant use them because they bought limited rights just for the name of the franchise. Im not sure but I think they also said it clearly in the past. So now they lie if they claim otherwise.
It seems that Stardock now acts like EA or other dirty company just because they are afraid of the competition from original creators.
- Stardock is blocking Fred and Paul from using any of Star Control's familiar races, locations and names. Stardock now claims they have rights for them.
- But Stardock DIDNT CLAIM anything like that at the start of development of their own game .
- Stardock DONT USE any of these familiar races, locations and names in their own game. I think they simply cant use them because they bought limited rights just for the name of the franchise. Im not sure but I think they also said it clearly in the past. So now they lie if they claim otherwise.
It seems that Stardock now acts like EA or other dirty company just because they are afraid of the competition from original creators.
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Stardock paid for the ip that Atari owned....original owners think they can still use it because atari is no more. How is this wrong on Stardocks front?
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Depends if Atari permanently owned the SC rights or if it was a limited contract, as StarControl is suggesting. Stardock may have made incorrect assumptions about what they thought they were purchasing as there was actually a bundle of Atari IP for sale, Starcontrol asseta were a small part of it.
Either way the lawyers will be happy.
On the other hand… why don't they BOTH make a game with the IP and let us decide who used them better.
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NewDArt
Guest
Stardock games mostly lack soul - and Brad is a terrible developer in terms of design and creativity.
So, it's no big loss either way.
So, it's no big loss either way.
Farflame
SasqWatch
You are probably wrong. Read again what I wrote. According to Stardocks previous statements they didnt buy rights for all the original content. Otherwise they would already use it in their own game. Why do you think they didnt do it?
Brilliant, thank you!
I know to little to have a qualified opinion, but to me this just sounds weird. If what Farflame writes is correct, I don't see how Stardock could win this lawsuit. It shold be easy enough to prove? Or the other way around, if Stardock owns the rights that should be just as easy to confirm?
Wisdom's got it right, just finish your damn games and stop being so small minded. I'll gladly play both.
Zloth
I smell a... wumpus!?
Ugh - sounds like another who-owns-what that dates back to the years when the stakes weren't high enough to really worry about such details. It will all depend on the contracts.
Since the game has been flat out given away for years under another name, my bet is against Stardock. I'm not betting more than a dollar, though.
Since the game has been flat out given away for years under another name, my bet is against Stardock. I'm not betting more than a dollar, though.
Avantre
Sentinel
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Because then a 3rd company could use that in court to show that the company that won didn't defend their copyright, allowing the 3rd company to create a shitty cash-grab game using the names as well. There's a reason why big companies vigorously defend their copyrights even in situations they know will make them look bad for doing so.
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I don't want to judge until I know the facts, though as I noted stardock has been a bit high-handed lately.
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I can certainly see that stardock is concern about the investment they've made in their current game but either they have the rights or they don't and if they don't then they should suffer the negative press - but if they do then while it would be nice for them to come to some reasonable agreement there is no obligation.
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I can certainly see that stardock is concern about the investment they've made in their current game but either they have the rights or they don't and if they don't then they should suffer the negative press - but if they do then while it would be nice for them to come to some reasonable agreement there is no obligation.
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Fimbul
Guest
Oh that's ugly, but it's hard to judge for an outsider, they just made the first public move, maybe in the hope get leverage on Stardock for their conditions. Maybe they wanted to have it all for themselves. But of course they wouldn't admit if they played some dickmoves too. Brad has another point of view and I think they are not that wrong. At least look what they did and Brads response. https://forums.starcontrol.com/486284/Stardock-response-to-Paul-and-Fred
The truth will probably be in between. But why this move now after 4 years? it smells a bit of a PR stunt to get some more attention to their project and maybe to grab a bit of money to start it at all. As it's my understanding, they barely started anything and just have the wish and some ideas, hell they not even have an official site. Of course because of the legal uncertainties wont many investors lend their money or to rather bad conditions, so they try to get a better deal this way. But who knows.
The truth will probably be in between. But why this move now after 4 years? it smells a bit of a PR stunt to get some more attention to their project and maybe to grab a bit of money to start it at all. As it's my understanding, they barely started anything and just have the wish and some ideas, hell they not even have an official site. Of course because of the legal uncertainties wont many investors lend their money or to rather bad conditions, so they try to get a better deal this way. But who knows.
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I'll often root for the smaller guy but reading Brads post (which could of course be untrue), I get the same feeling as with the people suing HBS regarding Battletech.