Talking of IP infringement, this can't end well...

Morrus

Well, that was fun

Staff member

• Jan 6, 2016

• #1

Over on Kickstarter, there's a chap asking for $200,000 to make a Star Wars video game RPG.

$200,000 is a heck of a goal! It's made $18,000 of that already somehow, despite very little information on the Kickstarter page.

He's literally offering thing *but* the Star Wars brand name in that description.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1793481042/star-wars-open-world-rpg/description

 

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GMMichael

Guide of Modos

• Jan 6, 2016

• #2

Maybe George Lucas got bored, and used a pen name?

Edit: out of curiosity, what portion of his Kickstarter funds are allocated for legal disputes?

 

Last edited: Jan 6, 2016

Morrus

Well, that was fun

Staff member

• Jan 6, 2016

• #3

Goodness knows. I don't know who has pledged money so far, but is there anything there that suggests he can even make a video game for $200K even leaving the IP infringement aside?

 

Sacrosanct

Legend

• Jan 6, 2016

• #4

But you get to play "obi jim Kenobi".

At least he's honest. Right up front he says he doesn't have permission, and a risk is "Copy rights" (sic). How does this get past the approval stage?

 

Morrus

Well, that was fun

Staff member

• Jan 6, 2016

• #5

Sacrosanct said:

But you get to play "obi jim Kenobi".

At least he's honest. Right up front he says he doesn't have permission, and a risk is "Copy rights" (sic). How does this get past the approval stage?

Click to expand...

Kickstarter hasn't had an approval stage for a couple of years now.

 

Ryujin

Legend

• Jan 6, 2016

• #6

Apparently Disney has actual guidelines as to how/when you can make use of the Star Wars IP. If this runs afoul of those rules, then the people running the Kickstarter will get hammered down. After reading this in the "Challenges" section at the bottom of the page, I suspect that there's really no intent to move forward.

 

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WayneLigon

Adventurer

• Jan 6, 2016

• #7

Given all the other weirdness in the thing, he may have confused Kickstarter with Indiegogo, where you get to keep pledged money even if the project does not fund.

 

Ryujin

Legend

• Jan 6, 2016

• #8

WayneLigon said:

Given all the other weirdness in the thing, he may have confused Kickstarter with Indiegogo, where you get to keep pledged money even if the project does not fund.

Click to expand...

Enough people have taken the money and run over Kickstarters for game projects, that it doesn't really matter if it's Kickstarter or Indigogo's "flexible funding." Game funding efforts, specifically, have done more to poison the crowdfunding pool than any other single type of project.

Though, when it comes to projects on Indigogo with flexible funding, I am very unlikely to ever pledge. The project has to have a really strong presentation and be done by people whose well-known good names would be Mudd if it doesn't come off.

 

Sacrosanct

Legend

• Jan 6, 2016

• #9

Ryujin said:

Enough people have taken the money and run over Kickstarters for game projects, that it doesn't really matter if it's Kickstarter or Indigogo's "flexible funding." Game funding efforts, specifically, have done more to poison the crowdfunding pool than any other single type of project.

Though, when it comes to projects on Indigogo with flexible funding, I am very unlikely to ever pledge. The project has to have a really strong presentation and be done by people whose well-known good names would be Mudd if it doesn't come off.

Click to expand...

Unless it's changed, you only get the money in KS if it funds. Indiegogo you get it regardless. so if he doesn't hit his goal, he gets $0

 

Ryujin

Legend

• Jan 6, 2016

• #10

Sacrosanct said:

Unless it's changed, you only get the money in KS if it funds. Indiegogo you get it regardless. so if he doesn't hit his goal, he gets $0

Click to expand...

No, it hasn't changed, and that's not what I'm saying. Unfortunately there seem to be enough people enthusiastic to fund something like this that there has been a history of Kickstarters, that in no way demonstrated an ability to follow through, that have been funded. With indigogo you only get the funds on a failed campaign if the group running the campaign has selected the "flexible funding" option. It isn't a given.