Coleco strong-arming homebrew publishers and fan sites

[+frankodragon]

Sounds like a plot for a soap opera:

 

 

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

Days of Our Coleco...

 

Video and the restless...

[StopDrop&Retro]

Dos Muchachos, Un Coleco

 

 

(give yourself a pat on the back and a caramel filled churro if you got that one)

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Where the heck is the shun block button? I can't seem to find it. Was it removed?

Either way, this is my last post in this thread. Back to having fun.

 

** EDIT ** Never mind, I found it.

Doesn't help for quotes, unfortunately.

[Keatah]

So what's gonna come up after all this?

 

Coleco holdings drops the CV logo?

The homebrewers drop the CV logo? [this already started, didn't it?]

 

Homebrewers will have to drop th CV logo. The sooner it happens the sooner this childish argument can end.

[Flojomojo]

Ban me for what? The messages were directed as a request to review and to step in. No rules were violated

Are you for real?

 

This whole thread is about your overreaction to a fan site, your overreaching, your having taken unfair actions. You started this, and if anyone is acting like a bully, it's you. You're not a victim here, and it's frankly offensive that you keep coming back here to cry about it.

 

Usually it's easy to see other sides of the argument. In this case, it's you versus the whole retro world. Can all these people be wrong? I think a little self-reflection could help you. Why can't you retract the wrongful copyright strike you filed against a fan site?

 

On this site, a Moderator is a volunteer, like a safety patrol kid who helps other kids cross the street. Not an employee, or brand ambassador, or kingdom-key-keeper. Is that a difficult concept for you?

[opcode]

 

Talking about soap opera, here is some. Man, it was an emotional rollercoaster all the way through. I laughed, then I felt really embarrassed for the poor girls. Quite a gamut of emotions in such a short video.

 

Btw, hope the girls got paid...

[TPR]

 

Talking about soap opera, here is some. Man, it was an emotional rollercoaster all the way through. I laughed, then I felt really embarrassed for the poor girls. Quite a gamut of emotions in such a short video.

 

Btw, hope the girls got paid...

 

Wow. That video was beyond awful. Is this is the level of quality the expo is going to have?

[+Andrew Davie]

If it comes down to a vote of moderators, I'm voting for a ban. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's bullies doubling down and then claiming that they're being victimised. There's no resolution to this one folks. I would also lock this tread from further responses.

[Cav]

Just wait till cardil licenses the juicebox.

[Flojomojo]

Kinda makes you want chicken wings and beer, doesn't it?

 

YouTube commenter (family member?) is like

 

Hey Cardillo, 1994 called, they want their booth babes back

[Cav]

128k, I don't really know this Doctor, I probably should-- but regardless, you make a good point.

See the comment that was made below by TPR. This was not made by Fred.

 

This was made by the MODERATOR of ATARIAGE.

 

This is the FACE of this site! Should we not hold TPR to a higher set of standards as the one entrusted to the keys to the site -- the keeper of policy?

 

Quite honestly, I one of my employees of Coleco ever talked to a client, supplier or co-worker in this fashion, he would be terminated immediately. And this is just one of many attacks that were incited or carried out.

 

Albert can you help us understand this a little better? Is this what you set out to create? Or do you possibly think that threads like this are a black eye on your site considering that your own moderate fans the flames, speaks to your users with such distain?

 

Should the FACE of the site be allowed to use the site to further a personal vendetta over a private business disagreement?

 

Albert, YOUR agent publicly incites BLA BLA BLA...

 

This honestly may be one of the greatest posts of all time. Amazing you are trying to turn this around with you as the victim with the added bonus of blaming Albert.

 

Dude. YOU started all this. YOU did.

 

The icing on the cake though is quoting MLK at the end. Nice victimy touch.

 

I hope you don't get banned. I'm completely fascinated by how oblivious you are. And you're in charge of branding? Ha! Oh, and the Mengele thing, too. So much to enjoy!

Edited June 6, 2017 by Cav

[sack-c0s]

I still like CalicoVision, LOL!

 

 

 

Dammit! why didn't we think of that when we did this?

 

[Inky]

Someone needs to make a game for the ColecoVision called ShitStorm

[PlaysWithWolves]

This is about recent news but is mostly apolitical. New printers put a nearly-hidden timestamp and serial number code on everything they print. The article also broaches the counterfeit money issue, saying it both reads a complex nearly-hidden code and will print the timestamp/SN code on the fake bills.

http://blog.erratasec.com/2017/06/how-intercept-outed-reality-winner.html

 

I wouldn't doubt it.

 

More reading:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/counterfeit-money-eurion-constellation_us_576a3aa8e4b0c0252e77b6c4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EURion_constellation

 

The Eurion constellation is public domain IIRC, so if someone wanted to imbed these patterns in their artwork to prevent unauthorized printing and scanning, more power to them.

 

OT, but anybody ever seen the "fake" duck? It is normally not visible on a real bill but shows up on a scanner:
Bird Nested in Andrew Jackson's Hair 20 Bill.png

 

I could not find any references to the "duck" online, but it exists. FYI, this heavily cropped image was from an older series 1996 bill, so a lot may have changed with the redesigns.

[TPR]

I hope you don't get banned. I'm completely fascinated by how oblivious you are.

THIS! As much as I hope that Albert lets me ban him, on the flip side I feel like the accidental entertainment he has provided by far outweighs the annoyance factor of this thread. Does the guy even realize he has a potential career as a professional Internet troll? This is certainly more entertaining than any of his movies, rap videos or his fake RetroGaming Expo!

[Albert]

 

I wanted everyone to know that I have recently received several emails from Coleco asking me to remove the threads Eduardo and Robb started on AtariAge with regards to Coleco (including this thread). The first email was sent by a “Rachel Machtay” from a Coleco-related email address. The next two messages were from Chris Cardillo himself. I did not respond to these messages, as I’ve found that it’s best to ignore trolls. Given that Chris Cardillo of Coleco Holdings LLC is now calling me out as being derelict in my duty to moderate the forum, I feel it's time to share the existence of these emails with everyone.

 

Chris believes he and Coleco are being unfairly attacked, that people are breaking various rules of the forum, and that AtariAge is obligated to take action on posts when our “Terms of Service” (Chris' words) are violated. Sorry, Chris, these are guidelines and they are generally used to take action when people are going overboard and being disruptive or offensive. I don’t see where that’s happened in these threads. By attacking the ColecoVision Fan page on Facebook you invited the criticism you are seeing. You are not the victim. The fact that you continue to refuse to rescind the unwarranted takedown notices on Facebook speaks volumes about your intent and your character. In these emails, Chris also attacked Robb’s character with libelous accusations, statements I’ve seen Chris make privately to others as well.

 

Yes, Robb is a moderator here on AtariAge, as are others. Moderators do so voluntarily on their own time and are not getting paid or compensated in any fashion. Do I feel Robb’s actions in this case reflect poorly on AtariAge as Chris suggests? No, he and others are simply bringing attention to the bullying Chris is inflicting on the community. Coleco has now tried to silence content they don’t approve of on ColecoVision Fan and AtariAge, both which have a large number of active ColecoVision fans and developers. They have also been editing Coleco-related Wikipedia pages in attempts to remove factual references that do not reflect favorably on the brand.

 

Chris Cardillo is not a friend of the ColecoVision community. It’s this community full of true ColecoVision fans that have kept the brand alive all these years. Chris, you are a leach and a stain on the Coleco and ColecoVision legacies. You seem incapable of comprehending that your words and actions reflect poorly on yourself and the Coleco brand. I’m not sure how you worked it out in your head that attacking the community would somehow rally people behind Coleco, especially with the Coleco Chameleon fiasco still fresh in everyone's mind.

 

Fortunately, the community does not need you, and they have already taken steps to avoid having to further interact with you and “Coleco” down the road.

 

..Al

 

[enoofu]

Rachel Machtay profile apparently she was hired for good looks

https://www.facebook.com/rachel.machtay.5

 

Believe this is the same Rachel as above

"Arrest (theft/forgery) — Police arrested Rachel A. Machtay, 21, of the 300 block of Moonseed Place, after an investigation revealed she stole checks from a relative, forged them for $364, and cashed them at a local bank, according to a report. She was charged with theft and forgery and released pending a municipal court hearing."

 

https://patch.com/new-jersey/moorestown/police-arrest-two-men-wanted-for-armed-robbery

[Thomas Jentzsch]

You better have some evidence for this claim.

[Mindfield]

Chris,

 

I'm trying to be as impartial as I can be here. I am neither a Colecovision developer nor do I own one at this moment (much as I miss it) and only play games through emulators these days. One day I may get back into collecting. But that is neither here nor there.

 

You seem to spend a great deal of time dancing around the meat of the issues here, getting bogged down in the personal attacks (which I will address a bit later) without actually addressing the biggest issues here. To whit:

 

- You made TOS violation claims against images of games on the FB fan page. This was just wrong. Period. End of story. Holding your retractions for ransom pending agreement to any terms whatsoever is dumb. You were in the wrong here, and regardless of anything else, you should retract them wholesale and without reservation or qualification. Full stop. This issue is separate and unrelated to anything else. Colecovision Fan has no stake in anything posted there, and you have no say in what gets posted there. If you mistakenly thought otherwise, that's on you, but the absolute moment you were shown to be incorrect in your assumptions or the information you were given, you should have retracted your claims in their entirety.

 

- You want to control what software gets released for the ColecoVision. You can't. Full stop. That is not within your purview whatsoever. Stop trying. If you have a problem with unlicensed ports, take that up with the developers or report them to the IP holders whose copyrights and/or trademarks they violated. But unless they are violating Coleco's IP (and to the best of my knowledge Coleco Holdings do not have the rights to any of the original Coleco IP) or trademarks (where you likely do, in fact, have some say) then you have no standing to take any legal action yourself.

 

- You want to control what software gets publicized by forums, blogs, and fan sites. You can't. Full stop. See above. If you want editorial control, start your own site.

 

- You want to control what people say about you and Coleco/Coleco Holdings/RWB and where. You can't. Full stop. Unless it legally qualifies as slander or libel (and there is a very specific definition for each here), then you have no right to ask anyone to retract or take down anything said about you or Coleco/Coleco Holdings/RWB. You can ask, but nobody has to comply, and in the asking is the risk of damage to your brand's reputation. Clearly we're past that now, however.

 

- You want to control who uses the Coleco and ColecoVision logos. That, at least, is within your right, presuming your trademarks are legit, but only within the scope of protecting your trademark's specific third-party usage (its font and style) as it pertains to the potential for causing confusion in the marketplace and who gets to license its official use and under what terms. These are your only bargaining chips, and you seem to feel they give you more power to do more things than they do. Protect your trademark in ways the law says you should using common sense (go after the actual people directly responsible for infringement, not those giving them airtime). Give licenses to those you wish and dictate the terms of its use. Try to do anything outside of these and you're just stepping on your own dick -- and by what's happened up to this point, your dick has seen more foot traffic than Times Square. (Note: This is a quasi-humorous metaphor that's probably only funny to me, not a personal attack. For some reason I feel the need to spell out that I don't literally think your genitals are a busy trestle bridge.)

 

- You associate with someone who is known to the very community you hope to eventually market things to, to be a complete scammer. This is bad for your image. And don't try and deflect by accusing others of being guilty of associating with those who are similarly "bad" -- this is nothing to do with them. This is about you and the brand you represent. Like it or not, a brand is only as good as the people behind it, even those who are not on the payroll. This reflects on your brand. Keep that in mind.

 

- You make all of this personal. Don't. You're representing a brand. For God's sake, man, act like an adult professional. Ignore the personal attacks. Address issues about the brand in a professional, level-headed manner. Everything else is just noise that is irrelevant to the brand.

 

- You play the victim. Nobody has victimized you except maybe use the Coleco and ColecoVision logos where they were not licensed to do so. That is, and should always be, the beginning, middle, and end of your issue here, and they should be taken up with the parties directly involved. Full stop. Any damage done to the Coleco brand as it exists today was instigated by you. It all started with you. You are not the victim.

 

I think you owe CVF some retractions and at least a few people an apology.

 

Everyone else,

 

Ad hominems, physical threats (however hyperbolic or indirect), parody, and such are cathartic -- I get it. It's fun. It's entertaining. Bit it's not helping. Given Chris' behaviour, we should be holding ourselves to higher standards than that, at least while the issue is ongoing. Let's be the bigger people here. I know we've tried to be, and Chris hasn't exactly done anything to raise the level if discourse here in an effort to help make a bad situation better. But I think -- and I know this is going to be a terribly unpopular opinion -- that some few here owe Chris an apology, at least for accusing him of illegally selling bootlegs where he's explained that what he was doing was legit. Yes, Chris has been in the wrong here on numerous fronts, and he needs to address that if he wants to have any hope in hell of salvaging any shreds of his brand's reputation, but not everyone here has been in the right, either.

 

I love this community - the CV community and AA at large. I've been hanging around these forums for a long-ass time, though I haven't been around here for the past number of years for having dropped out of collecting. Still, I hate to see shit like this crop up when it really, really didn't need to get this bad. Yes, Chris started it, and frankly, Chris needs to be the one to finish it, hopefully without taking a weed whacker to the remaining shreds of Coleco's rep, but some here also need to big it up and offer an apology for false accusations and personal attacks as well. We're better than that. We've been here long before he was, and we'll be here long after he's gone. But if this is to go away without leaving too much lingering anger and frustration, those in the wrong need to own it and apologise for it and move on. Chris can go and do whatever it is Chris is supposed to be doing, and we can go back to enjoying the hell out of the wicked-awesome things being done for long-dead systems that we love keeping alive for our own pleasure.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Mindfield

[opcode]

Both in NJ it seems .

[TPR]

You better have some evidence for this claim.

He's not claiming anything, he's questioning public information found on the internet.

[ColecoJoe]

Does Chris hit the bottle or the pipe before he posts .... that grammar is atrocious for a business man.

[Inky]

*snip*

Fortunately, the community does not need you, and they have already taken steps to avoid having to further interact with you and “Coleco” down the road.

..Al

 

 

Al, you need to add a forum feature where people can like things several times. This post of yours would be the first to receive multiple likes from me.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Inky

[Thomas Jentzsch]

He's not claiming anything, he's questioning public information found on the internet.

Well, in my world that's pretty much on the edge. IMO we should not align with other people's low levels.