Even more problems for "that company"

[Vin Ahrr Vin]

Just got this e-mail from Ken and thought I'd share with anyone not in the Trollhalla mailing circle....

What a mess! I don't think it is possible that Jim "that guy" hasn't heard of all this.

I wish to state for the record that I had no idea that "that company" has been using appropriated artwork without getting the rights. I do not condone the use of stolen artwork, especially not in products for sale.

Some of you know that I have gone out of my way to commission artwork for some of my Tunnels and Trolls products. The griffin that graces the cover of my novel Griffin Feathers was bought and paid for from Simon Tranter. The original Hot Pursuit art was the rather violent one with giant scorpions cutting a horse in half, also paid for by trollhalla.

Several times in the past I have wondered where "that company" got all the high quality art that has graced various magazines and game products? I have even asked "that guy" if he was paying for all this stuff. He always told me it was legitimate.

For the record here i am telling "that guy" not to use any appropriated art on Tunnels and Trolls products and to quit selling any that do have it. I know Jim will get this email, as will Rick Loomis, the head of Flying Buffalo. I think we also have to pull his license to sell and distribute Tunnels and Trolls products.

I will also send this notice in private mail to "that guy".

I, like the rest of the role-playing world, am waiting for "that guy" to explain himself.

Sigh!

Ken St. Andre

[jongjungbu]

Thanks for the update, Vin. Very interesting. I'd like to see him explain himself too. I mean, you guys have been saying he's a lawyer. I'm not but I know enough to use only public-domain images in my solos I've provided, which are free anyway. So, it makes one wonder about motives.

[Hogscape]

Cripes... Looks like it's over. I quite often exchange emails with "that guy" and he never mentions the carry-on.

On an earlier post I mentioned that Ken must've known about the artwork since he receives copies of all the material. But now it seems he did the right thing, queried the origin and... oops...

My other misconception was that Ken and Jim were good, good buddies. I got that wrong too!

<Edit> I wonder if "that guy" saw the writing on the wall? HH#17 cover was an original piece by Jeff Freels...

[machfront]

"Carry-on"? What? Wadda ya mean?

For the record, Ken posted on Trollhalla last night that James sent him an email and told him he got the art from an art broker and "that he thought they were ridiculously cheap".
So...essentially...a guy who's a lawyer doesn't smell something foul in the outhouse? Odd.

[hrrrothgarrr]

Currently the "that company" website displays a notice that it's shelves are bare.

No products are available for sale there.

Some products remain listed for sale on DrivethruRPG/RPGnow

[mgtremaine]

I just noticed that also... I was going to go back through his products to try and get a list of items that are Flying Buffalo owned to use in my email to Rick. Things like 4th Edition and Sorcerer's Apprentice 1, Uncle Ugly' Underground Doom, etc.... If outlaw folds I see no reason why Rick can't simple move these to the Flying Buffalo store.

Anyone remember anything else that is FBI owned. [1st Edition is not]

-Mike

[machfront]

Hm. I can't recall...sorry.
Is 1st ed. owned by Ken? If not Rick, then Ken, surely. I wonder too about UK 1st ed. (well, I guess I did remember something else after all)

[koraq]

I have been thinking on this. The chance that "that company" gets sued is minimal, since nobody have the money.

So, even if he is guilty nothing might come of this. How hard could it be to start a competitor? These days anyone can open a store on Lulu and sell print product if they have made a pdf. In the D&D old school arena they do it all the time. How come nobody opened a umbrella site at Lulu for people to publish T&T stuff without "that company"?

[quoghmyre]

I have been thinking on this. The chance that "that company" gets sued is minimal

If it was just me, then yes the chances would be minimal, but some of the art that was "Brokered" belonged to the big publishers, the ones who have lawyers and defend their IP. OP now has a tiger by the tail. Even if he doesn't get sued I imagine his spare time will be tied up trying to find a way out of this maze.

Personally I think the "Broker" story is to little, to late, until I see the receipts you can colour me an unbeliever.

Again it was my name linked to this and I haven't heard a pep from OP:(

[koraq]

Well, the colour of my unbelief can be seen from Mars.

I hope this gets to court, since it needs to be cleared out. I hope you are right.

[hrrrothgarrr]

I hope it does turn out to be the broker.

This does bear out what I said previously about what happens if something happens to Ken, or Rick, or James...?

[machfront]

hrrrothgarrr,
Precisely! And just my point when I ranted on the clone threads and the threads that led up to them.
As well as a separate, but related point that concerning how I felt if T&T as a whole property ended up with OP.
This is just what I meant as well.
It's sad indeed to see it actually happen, though. Very sad. Not just for T&T, and not just for us, but for the artists and others in our niche hobby who have been stolen from, or otherwise had their creative endeavors wrested from them in some form or another.

[lostheretic]

I'm starting to wonder if this will turn out to be RPG.net's new RapidPOD scandal.

[machfront]

The "RapidPOD" scandal? I must have missed that one. What happened with that?

[apeloverage]

I remember thinking that the artwork that "that company" publications used seemed very high standard, considering the likely number of sales.