JBerel Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 With all the bullshit fred cheesehead has been pulling lately, I've been worrying in the back of my head about him sending Albert a C&D about using the name Atari Age. You know cheesehead has thought about this. He'd have zero standing on that, but it wouldn't be any stupider than them filing a suit against Target Corporation for displaying a game similar to one Atari SA doesn't have rights to and which Target isn't even infringing on their service mark with. They have a trademark on the singular word "Pong" by itself as relates to computer games/cartridges. They don't even have any exclusive right to the word as it's registered to multiple other companies including an email software outfit. The term AtariAge is already documented as a prior use applied to internet websites by Albert via the URL registration. A conflicting trademark does not exist, and his use can't be contested as it is already well documented and established. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 He'd have zero standing on that, but it wouldn't be any stupider than them filing a suit against Target Corporation for displaying a game similar to one Atari SA doesn't have rights to and which Target isn't even infringing on their service mark with. They have a trademark on the singular word "Pong" by itself as relates to computer games/cartridges. They don't even have any exclusive right to the word as it's registered to multiple other companies including an email software outfit. The term AtariAge is already documented as a prior use applied to internet websites by Albert via the URL registration. A conflicting trademark does not exist, and his use can't be contested as it is already well documented and established. All true, but I think something like sending Al a C&D is in cheesehead's character. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Back to that nutari age mag... I was brought back to my broadcasting days seeing that Sony VTR (the digital Betacam) with an Atari logo slapped on it hahaa...I get it, computers can be used for editing... TBH, I don't mind his graphic design student approach to magazine layouts, but I think he should wait until there's content before throwing something together. I mean who wants to read a bunch of nothing? At the moment it's kind of like the 'zine equivalent of a pointless business meeting... And, you know, the more I see the Nutari "vcs" the more I actually hate the look of the thing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 For mysterious reasons only known to the backers, the AtariBox crowdfunding thing is now up to $3,016,739 USD total funds raised. Meanwhile, Dean Takahashi, who really should know better, has another interview with Atari CEO Fred Chesnais. It's unclear from Dean's edited transcript whether or not Fred answered questions in real time and in what language, but let's take his words at face value. Boldface is mine for emphasis. What they show is a couple of key messages. Our biggest division, Atari Games, is still the bulk of our business. It takes time to reboot a company. Two years from bankruptcy, two years to redeem the debt. Now, we’re really rebooting. The games are still the core of the company, and they show very good performance. That’s the first message. We have a strong Atari Games division, covering both games and licensing. That’s software and the exploitation of software. As we suspected, the company whose tagline is "so much more than videogames" is still pretty much videogames ... and of that, a large component is strip-mining 40+ year-old assets. How long is THAT going to continue? Regarding casino stuff, the check is still in the mail. I’d expect that second business unit to start delivering next year. For the context of this thread, it's interesting to me that Fred & crew aren't claiming the IndieGoGo take as part of their balance sheet, as we had assumed they might. The third area, of course, is the console. These numbers do not include any numbers for the console. The money we’ve raised, we’ve just kept that on the balance sheet, and we’ve kept working on the product. These numbers don’t include any impact of the Indiegogo campaign or anything else related to the console. The console will start hitting in the next fiscal year and in subsequent years. The next fiscal year starts (fittingly?) on April 1, 2019. I have no idea what he's trying to say with the phrase, "the console will start hitting." Smart that they haven't spent any of the crowdfunded money; presumably they could still give it back or settle with disgruntled backers when if the project fails. This next bit is remarkable in its lack of humanity. I don't think it's due to editing the conversation, I suspect Fred didn't want to get into the details. We all know Rob didn't sign up for a "forever" job, but this makes me wonder if he's going to be out sooner than later. Surely he didn't really use the words, "diving into the project," did he? GamesBeat: Was Atari VCS contributor Rob Wyatt still working on it? I know he was going to, and then, he had a skydiving accident and broke his leg a while ago. Chesnais: We have a very solid team diving into the project. I haven’t checked on Rob because I’ve been working on casino games. Michael Arzt, the head of Atari VCS, is really in charge of that one. Fred: But enough about that human interest stuff, let's get back to the talking points. Look at those the very strong numbers. Won't someone please buy them? In a nutshell, though, we have very strong numbers. Games is doing well as the core of the business. Casino is starting to grow. The console, we haven’t announced any significant updates. The team will be working on something after CES to provide an update. CES is not contributing anything to the [profit and loss] at the moment. We hope it will be a strong pocket of growth for us. Which is why, of course, they have plans to exploit what I presume would be a more favorable regulatory environment in Africa for their online fraud gambling schemes. I wonder if they have a Chief Corruption Officer yet? Our third area for that business — since we’re not going to Asia, not even for licensing — is Africa, which is very promising. Lots of things have changed. There are not many competitors. We’re in the process of acquiring the regulatory licenses to operate online casinos in East and West Africa. Here, we’re going to go direct. That’s my goal for next year, especially with lotteries on the phone, in key countries. For smaller countries, we’re working on licenses right now. It’s working quite well. And of course, the biggest buzzword of all, the blockchain fad. "Oh no!" you say. "Atari is just breaking new ground!" Sure thing, Petunia. And that's why Sony and Microsoft are leaving it to Atari? Let me try to summarize it. I think blockchain is here to stay. It’s here to stay in many businesses — finance, identity, and also in gaming. In gaming, it’s going to have a significant impact not only through games like CryptoKitties, but it’s also going to have an impact on developers. Everyone will create assets in the industry, and, with blockchain, you’ll be able to tag and identify and trace every asset. I grudgingly admit that MAYBE just MAYBE you could use a decentralized chain to track assets in a game if you didn't want to keep control of the whole stack -- but wouldn't it be smarter to just own the servers and maintain your grip? Oh, unless you're peddling fairy dust in an attempt to juice your stock, a la Long Island Iced Tea Blockchain Company. I'll leave the speculation to the speculators, I am here for the video games. So Fred, what's next for games? ... it’s more important for us to remain in the casual field and try not to get into racing or bigger games. We could do it. We could raise the money to do another game. For the moment, our strategy is still that we have a lot of things to do in simulation and strategy games. We know how to do these games. When I see what’s going on in other categories, I feel like we should keep investing in what we know the best. In other words, Rollercoaster Tycoon and ancient Atari 2600 games. Yeah, stick to what you know. It's sure to pay off someday. There should be a nice dead cat bounce right after your stock hits the floor. What I’m seeing in many areas is very volatile. This is almost the only industry, along with the movies, where you can have a new entrant becoming the king in, what, maybe two years? That’s pretty cool. Such optimism! Please nobody tell him that volatility could wipe out a weak company just as easily as it would boost up a scrappy contender. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I love how they're banking on "casino" games. Casinos are where the sucker drops all their cash, and the house takes it all. Only in Atari's casino, you don't get a free trip to the buffet. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBerel Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) But you're entered for a chance to win an AtariBox, just like on Indiegogo.It looks like they're banking on licensing deals in obscure countries just like all those legal tender Elvis or Star Wars coins and stamps you can get issued by some Polynesian island. Again, it's not like they're in the casino business as they hope you believe. They're just running around, hat in hand, appealing to anyone who might pay them to use their decrepit old licenses on gaming machines or gambling sites. They're in the company of the Willy Wonka/Oompa Loompa slots and such, except those are actually placed in casinos in the western world. If they were still around, Atari would be king in long distance phone card branding. Edited January 2, 2019 by JBerel 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 With all the bullshit fred cheesehead has been pulling lately, I've been worrying in the back of my head about him sending Albert a C&D about using the name Atari Age. You know cheesehead has thought about this. Yet another reason I'm hoping the end result of the TacoBox is the Atari name being in someone else's hands. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I'm wondering why we don't have Atari branded thumb drives & cell phone chargers. If Walgreens can have their own private label version of those a tech holding company should be able to do the same. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Simple: what cell phone charger company or usb drive manufacturer wants to cut Atari a check for the logo? If such a company existed, so would those devices. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 (edited) If they were still around, Atari would be king in long distance phone card branding. They'd also have: A Private-Labeled Email Sevice A Web Directory which they mistakenly call a search engine A bid-for-placement search service A Yahoo-like web portal with an actual search engine...provided by Inktomi, with ads by Goto/Overture Edited January 2, 2019 by pacman000 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Spriggy Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 FFS Flojo ... and other AA investigative bastards ... can you all stop typing?? .... or ... @CPUWIZ , can you lock this thread please? My LMB finger is getting sore from clicking 'Like' buttons and my face is in a state of permanent smile!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+x=usr(1536) Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 All true, but I think something like sending Al a C&D is in cheesehead's character. True. But C&Ds are essentially a polite request with no legal standing behind them. In some cases there may be a threat of legal action to come if they're disregarded, but the weight that threat varies from issuer to issuer and the legal counsel representing them. I've found that the best initial response is generally to send a bag of sand and a mallet to the person who generated it and see where things go from there. Or just ignore it outright if you don't want to waste the postage - either way, you'll find out how serious they are after that point. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Simple: what cell phone charger company or usb drive manufacturer wants to cut Atari a check for the logo? If such a company existed, so would those devices. True. Atari SA is interested in licensing their name, not in making products. Even if those products would cost, at worst, $500 a batch. Source: http://www.staplespromotionalproducts.com/product/8GB%20Rotate%202Tone%20Flash%20Drive/80PXC/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman000 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 They'd also have: A Private-Labeled Email Sevice A Web Directory which they mistakenly call a search engine A bid-for-placement search service A Yahoo-like web portal with an actual search engine...provided by Inktomi, with ads by Goto/Overture I wanted to post this yesterday, but time wasn't with me: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+thanatos Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Happy 2019, the Taco Bell naked chicken chalupa is back!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digdugnate Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Happy 2019, the Taco Bell naked chicken chalupa is back!!! yes indeed. i had one after taking Mrs. Digdug to an appointment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Tommy, are they actually shipping anything out? Or are you just stirring things up, just to be an 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 For mysterious reasons only known to the backers, the AtariBox crowdfunding thing is now up to $3,016,739 USD total funds raised. And now ... $3,017,569 USD total funds raised, or as I choose to believe, separated from fools. Meanwhile, Thanks for the false alarm, Tommy. Keep on truckin', "Atari." 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 That's.... That's disturbing. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Nathan Strum Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Looking forward to the new AA forum upgrade... I think there's a bug in the current version. I set this topic to both "Ignore" and "Unfollow", but it still shows up in My Content. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Looking forward to the new AA forum upgrade... I think there's a bug in the current version. I set this topic to both "Ignore" and "Unfollow", but it still shows up in My Content. Yeah, right. We know you just pledged that mysterious new $800 to the crowdfunding campaign. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+frankodragon Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 That looks like a version of deformed Sonic from the anime Akira. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBerel Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 That or somebody bred Sonic with a pregnant Basset Hound. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybercylon Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Ohh... so Atari speaks! I've never have seen someone spell it as "tee shirts". I would have been a backer in an instant though if they had offered a tea shirt. I'll take a tea shirt with my taco.... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Echt? Dieser Thread ist jetzt Racist? Weg mit der Post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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