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[Andir]

If Notch wants good ideas and an awesome community then he should just come here :/

Meh, we still have our spats.  I wouldn't say Bay12 is as bad as some other places, but we have some people here that have to have their way or fuck off.  There are those here that believe they have some sort of "earned right" to shoot down any ideas but their own based on some perception of self righteousness.  We all may fall into that trap a little, but there are some that take it to extreme levels.  (examples:  Sifting through someone's post history to find one nugget to use against them... trying to find angles of personal attack.  I do X for a living, so I'm right... you cannot be.)

I'm still a little sore from a recent dispute, but I know it happens... a lot.  The only way we've remained halfway civil here is threat of banning.  We sequester ourselves into like minded cliques.  If you find yourself in a thread that doesn't follow your personal feelings you'll soon find yourself overthrown or silenced.  There are topics that get logical constructive banter (I think the Religion threads have remained rather civil, for the most part) but that usually doesn't last.  There will be people who want the thread closed because they don't agree with the topic and they go out of their way to bend the rules enough to get it locked.

It may not be the same childish crap that goes on in other places around the web, but I wouldn't call this community the pinnacle of human accomplishment.

[Thexor]

...
how does that even make sense?
 

It makes perfect sense.*

_{* If you're part of a major publisher's legal team, looking to justify the massive salary you're being paid by extorting small(-ish) developers.}

[TolyK]

O rite.
_{Except that they are paid that money to take down large companies...  : P}

[Andir]

O rite.
_{Except that they are paid that money to take down large companies...  : P}

I'm not so sure it's simply about large companies.  My friend, an Android developer, has received several C&D letters over the years because companies interpret the application wrong or he uses a name for which he didn't even know was in use.

[Soulwynd]

Today, I got a 15 page letter from some Swedish lawyer firm, saying they demand us to stop using the name Scrolls, that they will sue us (and have already paid the fee to the Swedish court), and that they demand a pile of money up front before the legal process has even started.

Afaik extortion is a crime in most countries. I would have called the police and pressed charges.

[PTTG??]

Today, I got a 15 page letter from some Swedish lawyer firm, saying they demand us to stop using the name Scrolls, that they will sue us (and have already paid the fee to the Swedish court), and that they demand a pile of money up front before the legal process has even started.

Afaik extortion is a crime in most countries. I would have called the police and pressed charges.

It's not extortion if you have a lawyer say it.

[Soulwynd]

I don't care and neither should you [or notch for that matter]. Don't take crap from anyone, man, keep some dignity.

[Lysabild]

I don't care and neither should you [or notch for that matter]. Don't take crap from anyone, man, keep some dignity.

Dignity is to compromise wisely, to not give a fuck is hardly mature.

[Soulwynd]

I don't care and neither should you [or notch for that matter]. Don't take crap from anyone, man, keep some dignity.

Dignity is to compromise wisely, to not give a fuck is hardly mature.

No, dignity is to have self-respect. It's to be serious about what you mean and what you do.

It's not twisting other people's words. It's not accepting it when you're imposed horrible non-sense conditions.

Notch obviously tried the compromise and he was met with pure extortion and bullshit.

[Lysabild]

Notch is doing the right thing here, and he will not lose that case if they decide to go through with it.

[Soulwynd]

Notch is doing the right thing here, and he will not lose that case if they decide to go through with it.

Yup. I hope that's some 'automated message', because from the way he made it sound, it's extortion. If I were him, I'd certainly fight against it and I do hope he will. From his blog post he gave the impression he is trying.

[Thexor]

Notch is doing the right thing here, and he will not lose that case if they decide to go through with it.

Yup. I hope that's some 'automated message', because from the way he made it sound, it's extortion. If I were him, I'd certainly fight against it and I do hope he will. From his blog post he gave the impression he is trying.

His immediate response was the most logical: Hope it's all a mix-up that can be swept under the rug with a minimum of negative PR and legal fees. Legal battles are neither pretty nor cheap, and avoiding one would be best for both parties.

If Bethesda presses, though, he'll probably fight it. Even if Notch did just sell his 3 millionth copy, he's still (seen as) a small developer. I'm betting that PR would fall heavily on the side of "small developer defending his name" versus "large publisher pushing around a small competitor over a mostly-unrelated trademark". Moreover, unlike most small developers, Notch actually has the money to fight back, and he's already shown an eagerness to make this skirmish public. That's not good when you're pushing an extortion racket with your company's good name. 

[Supercharazad]

As if most people needed another reason not to get Skyrim :/

[Johnfalcon99977]

It sounds like a very bad idea for Bethesda to press the issue at this point, and chances are, they won't. At least, if they have any common sense they won't.

[Soulwynd]

Notch is doing the right thing here, and he will not lose that case if they decide to go through with it.

Yup. I hope that's some 'automated message', because from the way he made it sound, it's extortion. If I were him, I'd certainly fight against it and I do hope he will. From his blog post he gave the impression he is trying.

His immediate response was the most logical: Hope it's all a mix-up that can be swept under the rug with a minimum of negative PR and legal fees. Legal battles are neither pretty nor cheap, and avoiding one would be best for both parties.

If Bethesda presses, though, he'll probably fight it. Even if Notch did just sell his 3 millionth copy, he's still (seen as) a small developer. I'm betting that PR would fall heavily on the side of "small developer defending his name" versus "large publisher pushing around a small competitor over a mostly-unrelated trademark". Moreover, unlike most small developers, Notch actually has the money to fight back, and he's already shown an eagerness to make this skirmish public. That's not good when you're pushing an extortion racket with your company's good name. 

Yup... I mean, -attempting- to trademark a product is -not- illegal. If there's another product that falls in the same category and uses the same/similar name, it will be denied. Plain and simple. Sending a letter of C&D with a "we already paid the court fee" notice and a price value so it doesn't go to court is criminal. If communications fail, I'd seriously look into extortion laws in his country and take it to the police and not the courtroom.

Otherwise, I'd take the SA approach to this bullshit.