At 09:24 PM 11/23/99 -0600, you wrote:
Actually, we know that they declared the Jaguar an open platform, but
still won't release the encryption keys or method. Far different thing
really.
Russ, to the best of my knowledge, it's not that they WON'T release the
encryption algo, it's that they CAN'T (or won't spend the time) find it, so
that the best thing they could do for 4-Play was issue an announcement
saying "go ahead and break it if you can". (although I do remember a note
that 4-Play sifted through the closet of old stuff). I know that the 7800
encryption routine is definitely lost.
Legally speaking, it's not wise to read between the lines, but it's
definitely implied in the Hasbro announcement that older systems have the
green light for development. I mean, Carl is also developing Lynx games
without trouble from Hasbro, and that's a far more modern system than the
7800 or 2600. Hasbro reps were at CG Expo and did not take offense to any
of this, or Pesco or Merlin's Wall. It's logical for Hasbro to be the most
concerned with the most recent dead console for which they have the
rights. Remember that only a few years earlier Atari Corp. was spending
millions pushing the Jaguar against 3d0 and the 16-bit machines. The
Jaguar was very much a modern system with modern licensing arrangements and
encryption schemes and this was all plopped into Hasbro's lap. There were
official unfinished games that were in development while Atari was still
alive awaiting encryption and Hasbro had to somehow appease these
legitimate developers (or those who bought the rights to their work with
the intention of releasing the games). There is no similar momentum for
Hasbro to offer announcements about the other platforms because it's
assumed that these platforms were long dead by the time they acquired the
rights and that hence there were no dangling issues with legitimate 3rd
party developers.
I agree that Hasbro should make a followup statement to make this official,
but I think it's a safe bet to assume that they feel this way.
Well, the point is, the courts would find it illegal, but Glenn may not
mind. But if you're really after being legal, you need a way around
the legal issue.
I think Russ is saying that we should contact Hasbro. If you've got enough
time to fight your way through the beaurocracy there to get them to issue a
statement, then go right ahead. But they just don't issue these statements
overnight. They send a bunch of internal memos all around, come to a
decision, then pay insane legal fees just to get the thing worded in a way
they feel doesn't give anything away, so there is a great reluctance on
their part to do this when it's just a net loss on their part. That's why
we couldn't get them to allow us to manufacture a small quantity of Save
Mary cartridges.
Glenn Saunders - Producer - Cyberpunks Entertainment
Personal homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/1698
Cyberpunks Entertainment: http://cyberpunks.uni.cc
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