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US Company Buys Commodore Brand For $33 Million
inKubus writes "Tulip Computers International BV -- which has held the rights to Commodore since 1997 -- said Thursday it will sell the once-mighty Commodore computer brand to U.S.-based Yeahronimo Media Ventures Inc. for 24 million euros, or $33 million. A company spokesman said they would "take actions" against possible copyright infringements of the Commodore name in the United States as well as release a new MP3 player and rerelease classic games."
Another Canadian icon to the US attack-lawyers.
rerelease classic games."
I wonder if this means we'll get C64 games on those little joystick-that-plugs-into-the-tv things that are so popular nowadays.
I mean, really, it's pretty much been empty promises since about 1992 from the Commodore/Amiga crowd, and the Commodore kicked the bucket.
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A company whose primary product seems (from their website) to be a DRM scheme is buying the commodore brand - remember, this is the company that gave out schematics with their computers. Doesn't sound like it makes sense to me. The only people who care about C= are geeks who will know better...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Branding is such a scam... Like putting the name Commodore on any crap box is going to make it magically like a C64 or an Amiga.. People are not that stupid... Same goes for Napster. The old Napster is gone, forever. Using the name won't make it anything like the real thing.
The perfect sig is a lot like silence, only louder
Sounds fun, combating copyright infringement by releasing a device that will most likely play material that was obtained by infringing copyright :)
"You can now flame me, I am full of love,"
Commodore rocked back in the day. However, about this new company declaring it will "go after" infringers: the only reason anyone still knows about the Commodore brand is because of the dedication of those who could be considered infringers on the name. Great tactic - use the community to keep a brand name from totally dying out, then turn around and unleash the legal dogs on the very ones who kept it viable. Whatever...
SYS64738
Would the Commodore name have that value today if it wasn't for all the C-64/Amiga User Groups that kept the legacy alive for all these years? These are the same people that will get sued first, I'm willing to bet.
This is not the way to build a lasting empire.
Names can't be copyrighted...they'd be taking action against uses of the name under TRADEMARK law.
There are a couple of issues they might run into:
1) continuous use -- has the trademark been in continuous use over the years? They can't just abandon it and pick it back up
2) passing off - if no one else is "passing themselves off" as the Commodore computer company, they probably don't have an action.
overall, if their investment plan is litigation, i think they are in a craptacular situation
Actually I think the business plan goes something like this...
1>notice people making joysticks with built-in games that play commodore games
2>buy commodore name to sue those companies
3>...
4>profit!
Once that plan is complete maybe they will buy Amiga.
/* oops I accidentally made a comment, sorry */
...was going to happen, this is precisely why I ftp downloaded the net's largest archive of C=64 games a few months back. I'd post a link, but the last thing that this company needs is a target for their money-hungry ways.
There have been little improvement in video games since the c64 days. What's the different between skyfox on c64 and MS flight simulator 2003? graphics.. The gameplay is still the same. PS3/xb2/gc2 will have better graphics but not much else... there is no thinking outside of the box in the video game industry.. it's the same old same old recycling of ideas... the first first person shooter began with the stupid duck hunting game in nintendo in 86' and doom3 or hl2 is still same the same game play... lame. lame I tell you.
New Amigas? Kinda late for that don'tcha think?
When Jobs came back to Apple, people were saying "New Macs? Kinda late for that don'tcha think?"
Not that that's going to happen here. They just want some trademarks to sue people over.
Though I'd love to see the Amiga updated and rereleased, a la the newer Macs. One can dream.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Remember that little C64 in a joystick that they recently started hawking on QVC? I wonder how clean their implementation really is, and whether they are violating the brand name.
"Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
i'm referring to Gould, and Mehdi Ali.
you know - the ones who destroyed commodore, but thanks for playing the anti-semite card.
... hi bingo
If you look at Yeahronimo's website, there's talk about selling ringtones and realtones (presumably for cellphones).
Maybe they want to make a C64 emulator for cellphones and sell/rent old C64 games to cellphone customers.