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<blockquote data-quote="Steel_Wind" data-source="post: 3470930" data-attributes="member: 20741">Well, the online hate for the Lorraine Williams era at TSR has its genesis in the threats to fan sites under her watch. It was a profoundly arrogant treatment of fans who posed no threat to TSR or its products whatsoever.&nbsp; This was early days in the internet mind you - and TSR was hardly alone in fumbling the ball.&nbsp; I think they got poor legal advice.But it had tones of RIAA sabre-rattling in its day.Sure - there's lots of pointing out that under her the company ultimately floundered - and her treatment of Gygax has since become legendary.But at the time, these things were not well know (if known at all) and were not, therefore, the things that earned the animosity. Threatening fan websites with litigation and this whole &quot;online trademark&quot; policy was a very great part of what had the fan-on-the-street pissed off at Lorraine Williams.I guess the Greyhawk fans felt poorly treated by TSR in its late 2e stage and attributed that to Lorraine Williams. I'm not so sure on that part, as my recollection of those events is a little foggy - and too colored by what is said now (as opposed as to what was said then).Similarly, I suppose the reboot of Dragonlance under the SAGA rules had those fans pissed too. *shrug*</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Steel_Wind, post: 3470930, member: 20741"] Well, the online hate for the Lorraine Williams era at TSR has its genesis in the threats to fan sites under her watch. It was a profoundly arrogant treatment of fans who posed no threat to TSR or its products whatsoever. This was early days in the internet mind you - and TSR was hardly alone in fumbling the ball. I think they got poor legal advice. But it had tones of RIAA sabre-rattling in its day. Sure - there's lots of pointing out that under her the company ultimately floundered - and her treatment of Gygax has since become legendary. But at the time, these things were not well know (if known at all) and were not, therefore, the things that earned the animosity. Threatening fan websites with litigation and this whole "online trademark" policy was a very great part of what had the fan-on-the-street pissed off at Lorraine Williams. I guess the Greyhawk fans felt poorly treated by TSR in its late 2e stage and attributed that to Lorraine Williams. I'm not so sure on that part, as my recollection of those events is a little foggy - and too colored by what is said now (as opposed as to what was said then). Similarly, I suppose the reboot of Dragonlance under the SAGA rules had those fans pissed too. *shrug* [/QUOTE]

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