The full story (v.s. the btech fan sxtory) I've heard is that Apparently
FASA didn't bother getting permission until WEKK after the first btech
related products were produced, and got them from the wrong source (i.e.
the firm that held the full US rights) when they did. Oops!
Looking at the original btech set, with NO credit whatsoever to Macross
or the others, it's pretty likely that the truth is that FASA did not
bother acquiring rights at first. Makes sense, they were Small Potatoes,
and TSR didn't bother acquiring rights in similar situations. Also, FASA
says they acquired the rights in 84-85 (they call that "before" Harmony
Gold acquired the license, but since Robotech was released in '85, that
seems dubious), which would be dated after the first FASA product that
featured Macross-derived art.
On 4/19/00 5:50 PM, Teddy Mahoney ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote
>I'm going to have to comment on that one. FASA was *not* at fault in the
>"Battletech/Macross/Harmony Gold mess." To my understanding, FASA needed
>some 'mech designs, so they went to the creaters of macross and asked them
>if they could use their 'mech designs. The japanese said "sure, go ahead."
>Some time AFTER this, Harmony Gold comes along, wants to make Robotech.
>They ask the japanese, they say "sure". Years later, battletech figures
>get made. I believe harmony gold then sued FASA over it (or someone sued
>FASA) over the mech designs taken from macross. It is my understanding
>that the designs were taken from the japanese legally by both parties. In
>the end, fasa lost cause they couldn't handle the lawyer expenses. Later
>on, Playmates starts making exosquad figures, one of the figures looks
>suspicously like a mad cat (or a timber wolf, as it's called in the clans)
>Battlemech. Now this isn't a case of going to the originator of the design
>and asking them if you can use it, it's!
> outright thievery (on playmates part). So FASA (rightfully) sued. The
>judge ruled something like 'mech designs were too prevalent across the
>industry to be copyrighted.
>This is all, of course, from what i recall from an article i read years
>ago. (On a btech fan site) so it should be taken with a grain of salt.
>Anyone who knows better, please jump in and correct me (i'd like to know
>if i'm wrong) or give more info.
--
Russ Taylor (http://www.cmc.net/~rtaylor/)
CMC Tech Support Manager
"Not many fishies, left in the sea.
Not many fishies, just Londo and me" -- G'Kar
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