Monday’s WTF – Games Workshop sues Curse?

In a special edition of Monday’s WTF, I would like to take a moment and talk about the recent new regarding Games Workshop, owners of the Warhammer property.  It appears that they are now suing Curse for operating a website called Warhammer Alliance.  Most people in the WAR community know that Warhammer Alliance has been a fan site since 2005.  I remember stopping by there in the months building up to launch and taking part in the fevered excitement.  I honestly did a double-take when I heard that they were being sued by Games Workshop, and I refer you to this post from one of the Warhammer Alliance founders.

Heya Folks,

For those of you whom do not know me, my name is Shelby Cardozo and arguably I’m the founder of Warhammer Alliance. I figured I’d pop out of the shadows and clear up some misinformation about the site, it’s history, and my dealings with Games Workshop.

Lets rewind to 2004 and remember the old Warhammer Online that was canceled by Climax Entertainment. Well in late 2004, there was a Warhammer community that refused to die ( WarhammerOnlineForums.com). Unfortunately however, the site admin for the WOF was on hiatus and slowly the site was having problems and the community was on the rocks.

Enter 2005 and Mythic Entertainment. It was early 2005, soon after my Imperator fansite was sunk that I offered to help out the WOFs. Specifically, I’d relaunch the site as Warhammer Alliance. The site was relaunched around August 2005 and believe it or not, the site had ads on it back then. Specifically, I knew that the site was going to get big and I knew that in order to keep the servers running when the site got big, that ad revenue would be required. So, the site was launched (with ads) and we all looked forward to a new Warhammer Online.

Things went fantastic. The community, the developers, we were all so excited. The site was growing and the community was having a blast getting excited all over again. Fast forward to late 2005 and an interesting phone and email conversation I had with Sanya Weathers of Mythic Entertainment and Erik Mogensen, the Licensing Manager for Games Workshop.

The topic of discussion, we didn’t have a proper disclaimer at the bottom of the site. So, I worked with Sanya and Erik to ensure we met standards that all parties would be happy with. We settled on the same footer you see today. “This web site is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited or Mythic Entertainment.” And an added a link
to a longer disclaimer.
This footer and disclaimer was agreed to by Games Workshop, the Licensing Manager and Mythic Entertainment.

Things seemed to be going great. In fact Erik even registered here at the site and granted us a some interviews. Read that again. Games Workshop was helping promote the site by doing interviews with us back in 2006. Here is a link to Eriks first interview.

Now, fast forward to today.

Games Workshop is suing Warhammer Alliance. Now, I’m not a Rocket Surgeon, but this lawsuit smells like Greenskin dung to me. In the suit they allege that they just became aware of the site. But they were promoting it in 2006, 4 years ago?

You see folks, Warhammer Alliance, even today is a news site. The staff here do Warhammer news reporting, original news and commentary. In the same way that AppleInsider.com covers apple products, WarhammerAlliance.com covers Warhammer Online. This lawsuit is really just a gross perversion of trademark law and I hope that Curse puts up a fight.

But hey, that’s just me. You guys are free to form your own opinions.

The link to the Official Complaint can be found here.

So I guess I’ll start off by saying…

That is my initial reaction after reading through the complaint filed by Games Workshop.  I simply cannot understand their thinking here.  They are attacking their fans for what…being fans?  They are claiming in that very complaint that ownership of the Warhammer name is not established.  Umm…read much?  I give you the disclaimer link found at the bottom of the Warhammer Alliance webpage.

Disclaimer of Copyrights

This web site is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited. Age of Reckoning, Chaos, the Chaos device, the Chaos logo, Citadel,Citadel Device, Darkblade, the Double-Headed/Imperial Eagle device,’Eavy Metal, Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Golden Demon, Great Unclean One, GW, the Hammer of Sigmar logo, Horned Rat logo, Keeper of Secrets, Khemri, Khorne, the Khorne logo, Lord of Change, Nurgle, the Nurgle logo, Skaven, the Skaven symbol devices, Slaanesh, the Slaanesh logo, Tomb Kings, Trio of Warriors, Twin Tailed Comet Logo, Tzeentch, the Tzeentch logo, Warhammer, Warhammer Online, Warhammer World logo, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either (r), TM and/or (c) Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2006, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.

Games Workshop is also claiming that they have little knowledge of Warhammer Alliance, but their very own Erik Mogensen held an interview with Warhammer Alliance back in 2006 as stated in the above post.  So I just don’t understand what in the world is going on here.  Is this a money grab?  Did Games Workshop have a change in management who decided that on second thought, to heck with those wonderful fans at Warhammer Alliance!  It’s really hard to say for sure.

Games Workshop is even claiming that they could not contact anyone who works at Curse.  This is in spite of the numerous links all over the site?  I just don’t get it.  One thing is for sure, though, this definitely qualifies for a WTF moment.

Monday’s WTF

This week on Monday’s WTF, we begin by learning that hell hath no fury like that of a revolving door…

Then we receive a reminder of why it’s unwise to piss off the little old lady crossing the street…

Monday’s WTF

For this week’s edition of Monday’s WTF, we are given yet another example of why some people should have to be re-tested for drivers licenses…

Also, we learn what happens when a dog refuses to share with a goat…

Monday’s WTF

I would like to thank Wikipedia for providing me with this abundance of useful information.

It’s almost difficult to believe, but 2 people die every year from altercations with a vending machine.  I’m really not making that up.  Next time you use a vending machine, look around for the warning label that tells you not to tilt it.  According to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, that warning is there because in 1988, 15 cases in which men tried to get a can out of the machine were crushed.  Three died, the other 12 required hospitalization for injuries such as fractures of the skull, toe, ankle, tibia, femur, and pelvis; intracerebral bleeding; knee contusion; and one punctured bladder.

Vending machines have been forced to carry a warning label ever since that fateful year.  You see, because the soft drinks are located in the upper half of the machine (so that they can fall into the dispensing slot), the center of gravity of the machine is abnormally high.  So the machine will fall after it has been tipped only 20 degrees, a deceptively small angle.  Given this information, it is not wise to tempt the wrath of your local vending machine…as young Angus and friends are about to discover.

Monday’s WTF

In our first edition of Monday’s WTF here at Massively Multiverse, I would like to recognize Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Yes…KFC…our favorite place for guzzling down the various parts of the worlds most loveable “Look I can still run without a head” animals.  It seems that Executives at KFC, in all their wisdom, just didn’t think that the average American citizen had enough ways to kill themselves.  So they decided to put their collective minds together and have given us the DOUBLE DOWN SANDWICH!!!!

KFC proudly presents to you, America, our new Double Down Sandwich!!  Guaranteed to stop your heart faster than a fresh set of bullets, and quicker to seize your arteries than 60 tons of cholesterol…this is the sandwich you have all been waiting for!!  With the combined zeal of two fried pieces of chicken serving as the bread, slices of bacon, cheese, and let us not forget the Colonel’s Special Sauce in the middle…and you have a one-way ticket to the local moratorium!!!

KFC….we endanger species.

This ad is paid for by the Committee to bring an end to your life as quickly as possible.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Original Recipe Double Down: 540 calories, 32 g fat, 1,380 mg sodium
Grilled Double Down: 460 calories, 23 g fat, 1,430 mg sodium