Warner Brothers want to shut down MERP

[tomhankslol]

http://www.moddb.com/mods/merp-middle-earth-roleplaying-project

 

"The time is now, sign up and make things right.

Gopetition.com

 

We need our fans help to show Warner Bros. just how many people care for our work. Please share the links and make this happen.

 

Thank-you for all your support up until now.

- The MERPteam

 

Keep checking here for updates about how the campaign is getting along

 

----------------------- -------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------

We also need our fans to support us too, use the twitter hashtag #SaveMERP to inform everyone; friends, celebrities and journalists of our situation. As many of you will ahve seen we have caused quite the stir on almost every gaming forum around so If we can show WB how many people are behind our mod we may be able to sway them in our negotiations.

There is now also a twitter feed at the side of this moddb page following MiddleEarthsBane and AlasdairHurst. You can also show your support by liking and sharing these pages and posts on Facebook!:

Facebook.com -Save MERP

Facebook.com - Official MERP Page

 

Stay hopeful, and most of all keep checking on our moddb page,our facebook and our bethblog thread for more news as it happens. Also Twitter. @middleearthbane or @alasdairhurst

 

"There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for!"

-Samwise Gamgee

 

Sign our petition, and get MERP back in development! Gopetition.com"

[Mailamea]

Why would they even tackle to shut down a mod? Are they really going that low?

 

Anyways I'm rooting for you guys, this is such an awesome project. Hope it doesn't get shot.

[tomhankslol]

i'm not on the merp team, i barely saw this on 4chan's video game section minutes ago.

 

It's tolkiens world, and WB "claims" it as theirs. greedy fucks

just because the merp looks like the locations in the movie.

Warner got enough money as it is, the mere though of thinking the merp dev team can make any money of off this... well that's warner being warner for you

[Ark of Truth]

Well that really sucks. Unfortunately nothing can be done about it as Warner does have the right to close the project down. Sci-fi did it to all the BSG mods that were around and there was nothing which could be done because all the material is copyrighted.

 

They could try and use fair use but I very much doubt it would hold out.

[Kamen Rider Kuuga]

lolonlinepetionsdonoithing

 

It's always funny when companies attack fans for doing nothing beyond trying to pay tribute to what they love, then just expect those same fans to line their pockets. Of course, it's even more funny when the fans DO line the pockets of the companies anyway because they can't hold back on buying their wares.

 

Unless they're charging people money for things like this, the fans should be left the fuck alone. Especially since these companies have no intent on making mods for games, so they aren't in any form of competition with the fans.

[gregathit]

What would be epic is contacting someone who represents the Tolkien estate (who are the ones who actually "own" LOTR) and get their permission to proceed. I think Christopher Tolkien is still breathing (last I heard anyway) so maybe you could get a message to him somehow. That would be the biggest kick in the balls to WB to have to tuck tail and run due to the Tolkien folks saying the mod could continue.

[Valandui]

What would be epic is contacting someone who represents the Tolkien estate (who are the ones who actually "own" LOTR) and get their permission to proceed. I think Christopher Tolkien is still breathing (last I heard anyway) so maybe you could get a message to him somehow. That would be the biggest kick in the balls to WB to have to tuck tail and run due to the Tolkien folks saying the mod could continue.

 

In all honesty, unless he just wanted to stick it to WB I think he would be less supportive of this than they would. His father regretted selling the movie rights when he did it and if I recall correctly he shares that opinion.

[gregathit]

In all honesty' date=' unless he just wanted to stick it to WB I think he would be less supportive of this than they would. His father regretted selling the movie rights when he did it and if I recall correctly he shares that opinion.

[/quote']

 

Exactly.

 

What better way to get a measure of payback to ease the pain of selling WB the rights than to jamb them in the butt for trying to block a mod that doesn't harm them in the freaking least. I don't understand what the butt hurt thinking that WB has in this. Seriously how are they in the least "harmed" by this mod?

 

As to them regretting selling off the rights.....? WTF? Book sales went through the roof during the whole time the series was being filmed and released so it wasn't like they were loosing anything. Or was it just the old fashioned mentality that couldn't embrace the modern age? Anyways this is far afield from the OP so I better stop.

 

Best of luck in getting WB to leave you alone. I seriously doubt it will happen, but stranger things have occurred. Another idea is to try to get some media involved to make WB look like the tard that they are. Nothing causes this giants to wilt like an article or a camera.

 

You might try contacting Erik Kain over at Forbes. He seems to be a pretty darn good guy and doesn't mind shinning a light on corporate stupidity. Forbes link: http://blogs.forbes.com/erikkain/

 

Paul Tassi is another one over at Forbes that has done some excellent work.

[Kamen Rider Kuuga]

It's basically greed; anybody with a famous family member will seek to gain as much from their fame/work as they can. They probably figure that if they kept the rights, they could have sold them for more, or made some deal that wo0uld get them more money in some way.

 

So really, the fans are the only ones not being assholes.

[Valandui]

In all honesty' date=' unless he just wanted to stick it to WB I think he would be less supportive of this than they would. His father regretted selling the movie rights when he did it and if I recall correctly he shares that opinion.

[/quote']

 

Exactly.

 

What better way to get a measure of payback to ease the pain of selling WB the rights than to jamb them in the butt for trying to block a mod that doesn't harm them in the freaking least. I don't understand what the butt hurt thinking that WB has in this. Seriously how are they in the least "harmed" by this mod?

 

As to them regretting selling off the rights.....? WTF? Book sales went through the roof during the whole time the series was being filmed and released so it wasn't like they were loosing anything. Or was it just the old fashioned mentality that couldn't embrace the modern age? Anyways this is far afield from the OP so I better stop.

 

Best of luck in getting WB to leave you alone. I seriously doubt it will happen, but stranger things have occurred. Another idea is to try to get some media involved to make WB look like the tard that they are. Nothing causes this giants to wilt like an article or a camera.

 

You might try contacting Erik Kain over at Forbes. He seems to be a pretty darn good guy and doesn't mind shinning a light on corporate stupidity. Forbes link: http://blogs.forbes.com/erikkain/

 

Paul Tassi is another one over at Forbes that has done some excellent work.

To call Tolkien a perfectionist is an understatement. He was constantly changing The Silmarillion right up until he died and he wanted to rewrite LOTR and The Hobbit. Someone who has that kind of mindset will never be happy with a movie adaptation of their work no matter how good it is. Christopher Tolkien's life's work has been to preserve his father's work. He adamantly refuses to sell the movie rights for The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales.

[gregathit]

To call Tolkien a perfectionist is an understatement. He was constantly changing The Silmarillion right up until he died and he wanted to rewrite LOTR and The Hobbit. Someone who has that kind of mindset will never be happy with a movie adaptation of their work no matter how good it is. Christopher Tolkien's life's work has been to preserve his father's work. He adamantly refuses to sell the movie rights for The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales.

 

I can understand the perfectionist in Tolkien himself, but his son refusing to sell the rights???? That is just stupid. Good news on that front is he is 87, so he'll croak soon enough and the show will go on. That might sound a bit harsh, but I have no use for selfishly stupid mindset that he seems to have. I can see holding out for negotiating purposes to make sure the don't make a crap movie and tarnish the imagine, but clearly that isn't what he is doing.

 

Again this is all basically irrelevant to the OP so I am going to put a cork in it.

[Valandui]

To call Tolkien a perfectionist is an understatement. He was constantly changing The Silmarillion right up until he died and he wanted to rewrite LOTR and The Hobbit. Someone who has that kind of mindset will never be happy with a movie adaptation of their work no matter how good it is. Christopher Tolkien's life's work has been to preserve his father's work. He adamantly refuses to sell the movie rights for The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales.

 

I can understand the perfectionist in Tolkien himself' date=' but his son refusing to sell the rights???? That is just stupid. Good news on that front is he is 87, so he'll croak soon enough and the show will go on. That might sound a bit harsh, but I have no use for selfishly stupid mindset that he seems to have. I can see holding out for negotiating purposes to make sure the don't make a crap movie and tarnish the imagine, but clearly that isn't what he is doing.

 

Again this is all basically irrelevant to the OP so I am going to put a cork in it.

[/quote']

 

Sorry. I tend to get off track like that sometimes.

[gregathit]

Sorry. I tend to get off track like that sometimes.

 

You are not alone on that.....

[caperpp]

Did someone call me? Which Merp do I need to take care of?

[Venarge]

Actually i wouldnt give a fuck about WB what can they do? Its a mod people do in their free time. FUCK WB

[Kamen Rider Kuuga]

Bury the mod authors in legal fees, and when they win, which you know they will because the legal system is a joke, they'll also likely saddle the mod authors with their own court fees as well.

 

Their great, great, great grandchildren will still be paying this shit off.

[Venarge]

Bury the mod authors in legal fees' date=' and when they win, which you know they will because the legal system is a joke, they'll also likely saddle the mod authors with their own court fees as well.

 

Their great, great, great grandchildren will still be paying this shit off.

[/quote']

 

I just would go on with the mod for myself and give it to people who ask. SRLY. This is so poor. Its just a mod. If I would do it for myself, WB could go and fuck themself.

[HentaiGnome]

i'm not on the merp team' date=' i barely saw this on 4chan's video game section minutes ago.

 

It's tolkiens world, and WB "claims" it as theirs. greedy fucks

just because the merp looks like the locations in the movie.

Warner got enough money as it is, the mere though of thinking the merp dev team can make any money of off this... well that's warner being warner for you

[/quote']

 

Not just Warner. Just about any major corporation. Sony... Microsoft... Apple... you name it. They all need to get off their high horses, seriously.

[gregathit]

WB also does games so you gotta figure this MERP may get in the way of some plans WB has for a game' date=' I mean why else would they even bother? The dumbasses probably think since Skyrim has done so well they'll loose potential customers from some game that they may have in the works. It would only stand to reason with a Series of movies as popular as LOTR that they would make games of them all.

Just a thought.

[/quote']

 

While that makes perfect sense....I seriously doubt that is what is going on. More likely is just the corporate lawyer types that have nothing better to do than get their panties into a wad over "copy right violations". If more than a year goes by without the slightest mention of a game in the works at one of the gaming conventions then you will know that I was right.

[gregathit]

ROFL!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

 

 

Neither one of those games have jack shit to do with the mod that they shut down. So I "am" right, it was just corporate busybody lawyers just being anal!

 

The mod was a single player game so it would not have effected the MOBA one.

 

And Lego Lord of the rings???? How pathetically lame can they get???? They would sell more copies if they did a my little ponies version of LOTR!!!!!!

 

It is a damn good thing I am not rich, as I would tell the mod makers to proceed and I would cover any lawsuit expenses just to stick it to WB. Oh well.....

 

Oh well, guess you and I will just have to "hope for the best" that the mod makers continue on in "secret". Hell, we can blame Terrance and Phillip as well as Canada!