Yeah, but like I've been saying almost the whole thread, TTC don't sue people on the back that they'll definitely win the lawsuit. They sue people because they know those people aren't prepared to bet pretty much their whole life on a lawsuit over a Tetris clone, regardless of how likely they are to win. Does anyone have info on how the Blockbox lawsuit went? It was over a year ago and I've not heard anything of it, but if anything is going to set a precedent, it'll probably be that. Likes of nullpo just need to market itself to a company with enough spending power to actually defend it
nullpo is a nice clone, but it doesn't have the same polish (pretty graphics) that Heboris U.E. had. I believe it's being ignored for now because it hasn't reached the ease of use levels needed to actually compete with a commercial product, and it's not being sold. I'm pretty sure GMO WILL get noticed when it shows up.
:slowpoke: If I'm understanding this right, Mihara won't release TGM4, because Sega won't release TGM4, so he blames it on clones. If we can establish that clones are "legal" if you put up a fight, why does mihara just not publish "The Grandmaster 4"? Remove all Tetris references. Same game underneath, it's just not Tetris brand (TM). I'll just save the clone discussion for someone else with more breath, but honestly the whole "not the clones!" issue has been done over and over again to death. See also the Famicom and Russia. Didn't get an official one? Make an unofficial one in the market and profit. Those who do not learn from history...
No one knows the real reason sega killed it. Mihara says that foreign clones are the reason (or at least one of them) but he also says that you can break level 1300 in shirase.
Japanese law is not the same as US law, and releasing a commercial tetris game is a little different from a freeware clone. Furthermore, like everyone's saying, there are few who would be willing to pay their way through a lawsuit just to set a precedent for tetris clones.
Now, I'm just speaking on purely theoretical terms, but what would be the chances of getting i.e. the EFF to fund defense?
I still don't understand how TTC could sue me... How would it work practically? Firstly, how could they even find me? And if they did, then what would happen? Sure, I'd get some letter telling me to stop with my programming hobby, "or else". I throw away the letter. Then what? Would they send actual people to Sweden? Would they contact the swedish government to get me extradited to the U.S.? I just don't get it. I'm starting to think there are scaremongers among you. ps. I really don't care though. I'm happy playing TAP through MAME, eventhough it would be cool buying an official, native game.
What could they do ? First, they would find you in 5 minutes time. Then, they could open a bureau in sweden, sue you in sweden and ten years later, you would have spent so much money defending yourself because you really thought you were doing nothing wrong (and what is even more funny, because you actually didn't do anything wrong), that you would give up and sign wathever they give you to sign. That's how justice works when it happens to be enormous society suing one guy.
I really don't think so. I just called someone, and yes, they COULD sue me, but there's no chance in hell they'd win. So they won't try. They'll just send out some classic "cease and desist"-letters. I think it's safe to make and publish clones in all countries except for the U.S.
reminder for everyone that you will never, ever be able to purchase a home port of a TGM game to play and that TGM4 or any further TGM games will never be released
After all, there are a couple of europe published commercial clones, which have not been removed from the market, which really suprised me. Good clones? No. but they exist.
It would be known if big companies worth billions of dollars would not sue people when they know they have absolutely no chance in winning. Their tactic ? Sue you knowing it will last a couple of years until justice says you didn't do anything. But before that, you'll be ruined. Both party would have spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars, which is nothing for them but much much much for the sued guy.
Yeah, given the amount of money Tetris is actually worth for TTC, it really wouldn't surprise me if they'd be OK with sending a few people out somewhere. It'd pale in comparison to the lawsuit costs anyway.
Well, I'm not convinced. Do you guys KNOW these things or are you just pulling it out of your ass? I'm certainly no law-man, but I've never heard of anything like this happening in Sweden. I wouldn't be ruined as they wouldn't win. They would have to pay my expenses aswell. So no, they won't sue.
Of course they would have to pay your expenses once you have won. But after five, ten, maybe twenty years of lawsuit and thousands of dollars, you would be a homeless ruined dude so they don't fucking care. This happens very frequently dude, they know they won't win but they know you are to small to resist a couple of years so they sue you to death.
those with money make the rules if you don't have the equivalent of millions of US dollars or a very good lawyer who's willing to work for free/cheap then you will not win, period edit: these are people with the resources to make your life a living hell and ruin you financially for the rest of your life. do not fuck with them, it is not worth it.
Case in point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kearns That dude spent most of his life and over $10million in court with Ford and Chrysler over something he patented and which they stole. He won in the end, sure, but he'd pretty much destroyed his life by that point. And this was with patent law, where things are pretty clear-cut and you'd think that things would go through court pretty quickly. Stuff like trade dress is far more subjective, and I'd imagine that TTC would fight tooth and nail and would most likely appeal any decision that didn't go their way. Obviously shit wouldn't get that high-profile, but my point is that lawsuits are fucking expensive, and that even when justice prevails it can take its sweet time about it.
