WotC may have sent the Pinkertons to a magic leakers home. Update: WotC confirms it and has a response.

[Clint_L]

Please point to where Hasbro threatened anyone.

We don’t know what occurred precisely, but even the person with the cards has not alleged being threatened in any of his various versions of the events, though he is often using loaded language that might imply it.

He may have felt threatened by having investigators show up to retrieve items that did not belong to him, but given that he was not responding to attempts to communicate to him, Hasbro acted reasonably and actually gave him some recompense out of their pocket instead of telling him to seek it from the person who sold him the cards.

I’m curious what everyone objecting to Hasbro’s actions would have done. An extremely valuable item, key to your upcoming business cycle, has somehow gotten into the wild. Your marketing depends on keeping it under wraps, and the person who has it is busy making and distributing videos of it. Keep in mind that you still own the item; he has zero legal right to it. And he’s not responding to emails.

What is your solution in this situation?

 

[Bedrockgames]

WotC reached out to him several times unsuccessfully and subsequently hired investigators (gasp the Pinkertons - I know them from ButchCassidy!)

I actually haven’t seen Butch Cassidy but Pinkerton has still been involved in Union spying and union busting efforts in just the past three years (by large mega corporations trying to prevent unions from forming).

And like I said, I am not defending the individual here. I don’t know what he did or did not do. But I think bringing in Pinkerton and having them go to a persons house to confiscated a box of cars that just looks like it was released early not stolen isn’t a good thing. If someone from their company is selling stuff he shouldn’t be, I don’t think anyone cares if they deal with it internally. But sending Pinkerton to a person a house like it’s an FBI investigation is intimidating (and not saying they were posing as FBI agents but if Pinkerton shows up at your house, starts talking about legal consequences, even if you haven’t done anything wrong that is going to intimidate and even coerce you into doing what they want and aiding their investigation)

And to be clear here, I am not saying people who take a different view of this are bad or gross, just that the action by WOTC doesn’t seem very appropriate to me (personally gross isn’t my favorite term to throw around for this stuff, and I am not a big fan of calling things ‘icky’ either), but I was agreeing with the sentiment the poster expressed behind using that word

 

[Zardnaar]

Please point to where Hasbro threatened anyone.

We don’t know what occurred precisely, but even the person with the cards has not alleged being threatened in any of his various versions of the events, though he is often using loaded language that might imply it.

He may have felt threatened by having investigators show up to retrieve items that did not belong to him, but given that he was not responding to attempts to communicate to him, Hasbro acted reasonably and actually gave him some recompense out of their pocket instead of telling him to seek it from the person who sold him the cards.

I’m curious what everyone objecting to Hasbro’s actions would have done. An extremely valuable item, key to your upcoming business cycle, has somehow gotten into the wild. Your marketing depends on keeping it under wraps, and the person who has it is busy making and distributing videos of it. Keep in mind that you still own the item; he has zero legal right to it. And he’s not responding to emails.

What is your solution in this situation?

I woukd let it slide and try and prevent future leaks. It doesn't really damage their brand in any serious way.

I beat if a D&D book got leaked 3 weeks early here most people would eat it up if photo's were posted.

He'll I went to the Apocalypse prerelease 2001 iirc the entire set had been spoiled.

 

[Clint_L]

I think a lot of folks have a different understanding of property rights than I do.

If you discover your missing bike locked up at someone’s house, would you hesitate to ask the police to retrieve it? You have proof of ownership and all that.

 

[soviet]

Please point to where Hasbro threatened anyone.

We don’t know what occurred precisely, but even the person with the cards has not alleged being threatened in any of his various versions of the events, though he is often using loaded language that might imply it.

He may have felt threatened by having investigators show up to retrieve items that did not belong to him, but given that he was not responding to attempts to communicate to him, Hasbro acted reasonably and actually gave him some recompense out of their pocket instead of telling him to seek it from the person who sold him the cards.

I’m curious what everyone objecting to Hasbro’s actions would have done. An extremely valuable item, key to your upcoming business cycle, has somehow gotten into the wild. Your marketing depends on keeping it under wraps, and the person who has it is busy making and distributing videos of it. Keep in mind that you still own the item; he has zero legal right to it. And he’s not responding to emails.

What is your solution in this situation?

How on earth is it 'extremely valuable'? The cash value is negligible. The IP leak, which I agree would be extremely valuable to prevent, has already happened.

 

[soviet]

I think a lot of folks have a different understanding of property rights than I do.

If you discover your missing bike locked up at someone’s house, would you hesitate to ask the police to retrieve it? You have proof of ownership and all that.

What if you own ten million bikes and the police are liable to shoot the suspect?

 

[Maxperson]

According to their statement, they did. He didn't respond.

I don't put much stock in their statement.

"As part of an investigation into the unauthorized distribution and disclosure of embargoed product, we repeatedly attempted to contact an individual who had received unreleased cards. After that outreach was unsuccessful, an investigator visited him and asked that he reach out to us as part of our investigation and return the embargoed product and packaging. He agreed to do both. The unreleased product will be replaced by us with the product he intended to purchase. We appreciate the individual’s cooperation and the investigation is ongoing."

For all we know they called once and he didn't pick up for a strange number, they immediately called back and he didn't pick up for a strange number and then they called in Pinkertons. That fits their statement and they didn't mention leaving voicemail. Just that they called and it was unsuccessful.

I need to know more details before I believe(or disbelieve) a PR statement like that.

 

[Storyteller Hero]

EDIT: I received some clarification about what I saw on a search, and I was very wrong in my interpretation. Again, not a lawyer and I'm glad somebody explained what was wrong.

I looked up "unsolicited goods".

Apparently (at least according to US law), receiving an unsolicited product from a company and keeping it is not illegal, so this isn't exactly a case of stolen goods.

Somebody likely messed up at a warehouse and sent stuff either too early or sent the wrong box, which is grounds for employment reconsideration, but the receiver is not a criminal in this case, and may have the legal right to keep whatever they received.

Since the receiver was also NOT under contract to keep secrets about the product via NDA, there was also likely no legal mishap on their part for streaming the cards.

The sending of the Pinkerton agents for the stuff might actually be legal trouble for WotC IF it's possible to argue that the cards, having been received unsolicited, became the rightful legal property of the receiver.

I'm not a lawyer but that's how it looks to me.

 

[Clint_L]

What if you own ten million bikes and the police are liable to shoot the suspect?

What if you answer the question?

 

[trappedslider]

He may have felt threatened by having investigators show up to retrieve items that did not belong to him, but given that he was not responding to attempts to communicate to him, Hasbro acted reasonably and actually gave him some recompense out of their pocket instead of telling him to seek it from the person who sold him the cards.

I bet it's in his junk folder

EDIT: this whole conversation as I've pointed is like giving Gordon Gecko's speech at the shareholders meeting to a room full of millennials, no matter how you say it the room isn't going to like it period. It's too filled with emotions over the OGL fiasco and Pinkerton at least for some.