Question Vulture Mk III Prime

[Domi1981]

Since I recently saw a discussion that Mechwarrior Mech designs would be unlikely to go into our printing machines I wonder how this design made it into our license register. The Vulture Mk III Prime looks so much like the video game figure that I fear that we could get in legal trouble. Hope not since I´m all jumpy from the moment I saw it popping up on the schedule.
So why can we have such a nice Mechwarrior design and not the others? I mean I know it´s not exactly the same but the resemblance is striking.

[speck]

The vulture MK III was in Mechwarrior Dark Age and in TRO 3145 Mercs. So it is within the realm of what can be done. Anything new from the new Mechwarrior game is what can not be done since it is not part of CGL / IWM license to use.

[Domi1981]

The vulture MK III was in Mechwarrior Dark Age and in TRO 3145 Mercs.

Does this mean that the Vulture MK3 design was published before the computer game, or what does it mean?

[DarkISI]

Does this mean that the Vulture MK3 design was published before the computer game, or what does it mean?

About a decade, yes.

[Domi1981]

Oh okay, now I understand. Are there any Mechwarrior-ish designs that we can look forward to?

[DarkISI]

Oh okay, now I understand. Are there any Mechwarrior-ish designs that we can look forward to?

MWO has many of the same artists who worked on MWDA (as does BT). That means that a lot of the MWO designs share similarities to the Dark Age 'Mechs - and since we are currently in the Dark Age era, those designs have shown up in the 3145 TRO series. If you look through those PDFs you will find a lot of similarities.

[Louie N]

The Stalker II was the first thing I thought of

[worktroll]

The two Stalkers above are clearly inspired from a common source, but I see lots of dissimilarities. Things like
- the feet
- the upper has "ears" with the LRMs and "arms" with lasers, the lower has lower-mounted SRM "cheeks" and missiles & lasers in the arms
- shape of the rear of the arms.
- Cockpit placement, and absence/presence of fairing

Frankly I want minis of them all ... alas, ain't happening any time now.

[Domi1981]

The Stalker II is beautiful [drool]

[Hythos]

Frankly I want minis of them all ... alas, ain't happening any time now.

You know...... This raises a VERY interesting question..

There's the issue of "Don't talk about fight club", er, I mean, PGI/MWO mini's...

Then, there's the issue of leasing/lending a 3D printer to someone else with which they could "print" said mini in the manner that was allowed for private use...
I'd expect someone may grumble over the "exploitation" of the rules in this manner, but it does point out a potential loop-hole, while being totally different than having someone else print them (the source data / models and finished product never leaves the creator/end-users' possession).

[Weirdo]

Oh sure, say that where the people who write the forum rules can see it, and can then rewrite the rules to close that loophole. ::)

Has it occurred to nobody that actually following the spirit of the rules in addition to the letter of them might be a good idea? >:(

[Domi1981]

Someday American copyright law will kill Battletech, I see it coming. [metalhealth]

[worktroll]

Then, there's the issue of leasing/lending a 3D printer to someone else with which they could "print" said mini in the manner that was allowed for private use...

Doesn't work, you don't "own the means of production". Falls outside "personal use".

The bigger question however is what you do with them afterwards. Produced under the "personal use only" conditions or not, the moment you distribute (which includes sale trade and giveaway), the IP holder has a legitimate excuse to act.

[GRUD]

The bigger question however is what you do with them afterwards. Produced under the "personal use only" conditions or not, the moment you distribute (which includes sale trade and giveaway), the IP holder has a legitimate excuse to act.

No argument regarding "Sell or Trade", but why couldn't you give away your own property?   ???  Isn't that like saying I could buy a new {insert sports car here}, but I couldn't turn around and give it to someone and sign the title over to them the same day or even 5 years later?  I can't see the car manufacturer having any grounds to come after me for giving it away.  Even if I won the Powerball Lottery and bought 5-10 of them and gave them ALL away.  (NOT likely to happen of course!  :D )


Then again, "Fair" and "Reasonable" and "Lawyers" don't always go together.   #P

[Weirdo]

You can do whatever you want with your own property. Nobody will stop you. But once that happens, WE DO NOT WANT IT ON THIS FORUM. Was the rule pointing that out not written in English or something?

Someday American copyright law will kill Battletech, I see it coming. [metalhealth]

If you think the people who write this forum's rules are all Americans, you're making a strong, and very incorrect assumption.

[Cache]

No argument regarding "Sell or Trade", but why couldn't you give away your own property?

I would guess the reason they don't want that on this forum is because there is giving away, and there is "giving away" (for a small, obviously totally unrelated, exchange of goods, work, or cash).  Give a person an inch, and they'll take a mile.  Sometimes it's just best to avoid the situation altogether.

[Raven Claw]

The way I see it, it is a little different.  in this case, let's say that you built your own car in the likeness of a Porsche
or Ferrari and you actually called it that.  Yes, you did indeed built it yourself but as soon as you put the name "Porche" or "Ferrari"
on it and it also shares its likeness, you have now encroached on their intellectual property and are using their copyright protected name.

[GRUD]

The way I see it, it is a little different.  in this case, let's say that you built your own car in the likeness of a Porsche
or Ferrari and you actually called it that.  Yes, you did indeed built it yourself but as soon as you put the name "Porche" or "Ferrari"
on it and it also shares its likeness, you have now encroached on their intellectual property and are using their copyright protected name.

But then THAT is when they should take any legal action against you.  NOT after you've given it away.   :o

That's like stealing a rolex watch in broad daylight, wearing no mask, in the view of dozens of "Credible" witnesses and while being video-taped, while the security guard watches you walk out the store with it.  They let you go on about your business until you give it to a friend as a gift, THEN they come to arrest you.   ???


The car thing isn't too far-fetched actually.  I know back in the 70's they had car kits that you could buy, where you started with a frame of some sort, then built the body to look like something manufactured.  I don't know much about them, though I'm sure somewhere on the internet you could find more information about them.  (Sooner or later, EVERYTHING gets on the internet!  :P)  I also don't know what "Legal Ramifications" were incurred back then either.


Overall, I guess I'm asking about a "Legal" Question on a site that probably has very few Lawyers as members, so it's pretty much a Moot point.  (Not to be confused with an Ent Enclave!)  I believe worktroll has posted before that he's not a lawyer at least.  I knew there was something about him that I liked!  O0   ;D

[worktroll]

THe thing about giving copies away is that it makes the official, licenced product less commercially viable. I mean, why bother buying official minis if Joe Grud down the road is giving them away? This has the potential to commercially hurt the IP holder. They're the ones who did all the hard work popularising the IP, they're entitled to fair return on their work.

(This is also the potential situation with Shapeways and places like that. If you can download your own copy of someone else's 3D model, or buy minis off those places, where's the potential reward for the legit people to do the work in the first place? And at this point, let's not bring up the record companies; we may be in a similar position in 10 years, but we sure aren't now.)

Obviously there's shades of grey regarding the point at which the IP holder decides to unleash the "Cease & Desist" letters, and follow up with legal action. For many years GW has been the "poster boy" for low thresholds (and the concurrent bad publicity).

[Domi1981]

You can do whatever you want with your own property. Nobody will stop you. But once that happens, WE DO NOT WANT IT ON THIS FORUM. Was the rule pointing that out not written in English or something?

If you think the people who write this forum's rules are all Americans, you're making a strong, and very incorrect assumption.

That was not my point. ???

[Weirdo]

It's the point of this thread.

[Domi1981]

 Eh? I didn´t want to start a discussion on 3D printed figu. It was just a statement on all the legal issues that one can read in almost every thread as soon as someone states his idea to change/create/rebirth designs of mechs and then the immidiate answer "that doesn´t work because of company x doesn´t want us to"

[Domi1981]

Okay now i have seen that the V MK III was removed from the list. What happened to it? Is it canceled?

[speck]

Okay now i have seen that the V MK III was removed from the list. What happened to it? Is it canceled?

I just removed it since it has not been released yet. It is still coming.

[StCptMara]

Obviously there's shades of grey regarding the point at which the IP holder decides to unleash the "Cease & Desist" letters, and follow up with legal action. For many years GW has been the "poster boy" for low thresholds (and the concurrent bad publicity).

Yes, since GW owns the term "Space Marine" and the Aquila in any shape or form..or, at least, their lawsuits
that have put them into financial trouble have said. They make TSR at its worst look like Catalyst..

[Weirdo]

Is it canceled?

I'm trying to think of any mini ever that was outright cancelled by IWM. What precedent lead you to this conclusion? ???

[Domi1981]

I just removed it since it has not been released yet. It is still coming.

Thanks for the quick update O0