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notprop wrote:They do and indeed and have been advertising for IP lawyers in the last week.

For those that may be in need of an opportunity - http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=5300001a§ion=community&aId=4300004a

We believe a lawyer with the right competency will be able to pick up any specialist legal skills required in the role, so knowledge of intellec-tual property law and litigation experience is desirable but not essential

Why do I see this as funny

loki old fart wrote:

notprop wrote:They do and indeed and have been advertising for IP lawyers in the last week.

For those that may be in need of an opportunity - http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=5300001a§ion=community&aId=4300004a

We believe a lawyer with the right competency will be able to pick up any specialist legal skills required in the role, so knowledge of intellec-tual property law and litigation experience is desirable but not essential

Why do I see this as funny

I actually kind of agree with that statement. I think if you're a competent attorney, and your employer gives you adequate oversight and training, and you work on the same stuff over and over again, you should be able to figure out the basics of any type of practice and become proficient at it in only a few months, and should be very adept at it in about a year, or possibly less. The key is how much mentoring and training you get; if they just hand you a stack of files and say we'll meet again in a month, unless you are already very proficient with that type of work and familiar with similar business practices within the firm or office, you're f'd. I also would imagine that as an in-house attorney, you probably are doing very little actual litigation; rather, you are administering and overseeing outside counsel. With a smallish multinational corporation such as GW it is simply impossible to have a large enough legal department to have a lawyer licensed and competent to practice in every possible major jurisdiction.

My limited in-house experience taught me that you need to be versant and knowlegeable about the company's lines of business; you need to be proficient with the company's regular internal business practices; you need to be or become proficient with the specific areas of the law that affect the company in its practices; and you need to be a good generalist, as well as good at research, and be able to write short and to the point reports that non-attorneys (who are typically sophisticated with general business issues) will be able to understand and integrate into practice. This may all seem like common sense to a lot of people, but you would be surprised at how many people also don't always get it...

I wonder if this position is sited in the UK, or elsewhere, or if it even matters? Although I am licensed in the state where GW's HQ in N. America is now based...

loki old fart wrote:

notprop wrote:They do and indeed and have been advertising for IP lawyers in the last week.

For those that may be in need of an opportunity - http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=5300001a§ion=community&aId=4300004a

We believe a lawyer with the right competency will be able to pick up any specialist legal skills required in the role, so knowledge of intellec-tual property law and litigation experience is desirable but not essential

Why do I see this as funny

Hey, the management also picks up the skills to run a toy soldier manufacturer on the go (coming from the shampoo industry IIRC and still googling the word "marketing" and "advertising" and learning that losing customers and sales is a bad thing).
And they have bad experience with IP lawyers, some quitting representing them before court and the rest mocking their legal pages

loki old fart wrote:

notprop wrote:They do and indeed and have been advertising for IP lawyers in the last week.

For those that may be in need of an opportunity - http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=5300001a§ion=community&aId=4300004a

We believe a lawyer with the right competency will be able to pick up any specialist legal skills required in the role, so knowledge of intellec-tual property law and litigation experience is desirable but not essential

Why do I see this as funny

You aren't the only one. As Eldanar said, it's perfectly believable that a good lawyer could pick up the intricacies of ip law pretty quickly. That being said, in this context, that particular line is really funny.

They must be staffing up for a C&D binge.

derek wrote:They must be staffing up for a C&D binge.

More likely after getting the worse end of the stick in the current chapterhouse suit so far, they realize they need folks that know IP law rather then just sending out C&D letters....

carmachu wrote:

derek wrote:They must be staffing up for a C&D binge.

More likely after getting the worse end of the stick in the current chapterhouse suit so far, they realize they need folks that know IP law rather then just sending out C&D letters....

They have(or at least had) an IP lawyer on permanent staff as of a last year. Maybe they've decided to have more than just one and her underlings?

derek wrote:They must be staffing up for a C&D binge.

You know, the last C+D binge happened when the Blood Bowl video game came out. They may well be gearing up for the Space Marine console game and 40k MMO and any sites that may "interfere" with that, much like some of the Blood Bowl sites did.

I don't know what's going on at the moment. I didn't get a chance to talk to anyone. Paulson's representation needs time to get up to speed on the case anyhow. The status conference was held and continued until the 20th, although again, a status conference ins't really very interesting.

Cases like this take time, and this one has actually been progressing rather rapidly. With Paulson having proper representation, things will probably slow down a little bit.

Paulson still has to answer the complaint, so we'll see how that turns out in a while, but I expect it will be functionally the same as the Chapterhouse answer.

This case is still very far out from trial and I honestly don't think it will ever get in front of a jury. If the case doesn't get dismissed, the parties will in all likelihood settle out, unless Games Workshop feels like being particularly stubborn.

The Godking Kirby has shown a mortal flaw, hubris.

I think GW is realizing it's got a lot more to chew on now. From a lot of what I see GW doing, I think they're stretching the law to it's breaking point in more areas than one. Forbidding online retailers to show their product and restricting international sales could both wind up with hefty lawsuit on that front as well. Coupled with their monopolistic attitude towards sales and price, they're up for a spanking.

Surtur wrote:Forbidding online retailers to show their product and restricting international sales could both wind up with hefty lawsuit on that front as well. Coupled with their monopolistic attitude towards sales and price, they're up for a spanking.

I think that's the perfect term to use, "up for a spanking." They're acting just like a spoiled child who needs to be disciplined, but unfortunately for them, the punishment here is a little bit harsher than just being sent to your room without dinner.

GW has a legal monopoly of official Warhammer stuff. (Warhammers are the only wargames in the world.)

The lawsuit is about the degree to which they can control unofficial stuff compatible with Warhammer.

A bit off topic, but maybe some lawyer is able to give some insight in the legality of GW's current attempt to block internet trade with the "Southern hemisphere" http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/450/368570.page (esp. posts by NeoMaul and ArbeitsSchu)
For a layman it looks like the next legal landmine, GW has put in its way.

Its just part of their terms of sales. If you purchase as a retailer or wholesaler you have to agree to their terms of sales, which makes you contractually promise not to sell outside a geographic region. Its nothing new, plenty of industries do it.

Kroothawk wrote:A bit off topic, but maybe some lawyer is able to give some insight in the legality of GW's current attempt to block internet trade with the "Southern hemisphere" http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/450/368570.page (esp. posts by NeoMaul and ArbeitsSchu)
For a layman it looks like the next legal landmine, GW has put in its way.

Not me; that's an EU/UK matter. As I recall, though, most of the EU legal protections are for protecting trade entering and moving within the EU, rather than for trade leaving the EU.

The whole "battle of forms" may come into play here though...

I really don't want to derail this thread, but maybe we can chat about this new legal situation (the trade block) until updates from the CHS case arrive.

What is the benefit of this embargo of the southern hemisphere? I don't understand what on earth caused it or what they hope to achieve with it...

The benefit to the southern hemisphere is simply that wholesalers and retailers in the southern hemisphere should likely see an increase in sales as they will no longer be diluted by imported sales.

Actually, can we not side track this tread w/ a discussion of the distribution restrictions? Pls start a different thread.

Good idea!

This thread, as noted earlier, has been remarkable in its ability to provide information, entertainment and food for thought while at the same time remaining mostly On Topic and politely, if not in fact Friendly!

Fun fact:

Games Workshop just asked "Raging Heroes" to stop selling a Lammassu which is a mythical beast from Assur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamassu) also used in D&D. GW once had such a monster for their Chaos Dwarf bighat range which is OOP for a long time, but they seem to intend making a new one for Warhammer Forge. Seems like GW's IP lawyers keep on harassing the industry with unfounded claims.

http://www.ragingheroes.com/collections/complete-collection/products/manticore

aka_mythos wrote:The benefit to the southern hemisphere is simply that wholesalers and retailers in the southern hemisphere should likely see an increase in sales as they will no longer be diluted by imported sales.

Thats optimistic given that consumers outside the EU who have previously used imported sales will be looking at something like 40% increase in their costs. Unless this move is matched by a drop in retail price, I can't see there being a huge uptake in local sales. Certainly doesn't benefit the customers.

Kroothawk wrote:Fun fact:

Games Workshop just asked "Raging Heroes" to stop selling a Lammassu which is a mythical beast from Assur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamassu) also used in D&D. GW once had such a monster for their Chaos Dwarf bighat range which is OOP for a long time, but they seem to intend making a new one for Warhammer Forge. Seems like GW's IP lawyers keep on harassing the industry with unfounded claims.

http://www.ragingheroes.com/collections/complete-collection/products/manticore

Really?

What are Raging Heroes going to do?

They took the Lamassu option off the shop and now just sell the Manticore.

Bummer.

This is why the Chapter House case is potentially a boon to the indy manufacturers.

Kilkrazy wrote:Bummer.

This is why the Chapter House case is potentially a boon to the indy manufacturers.

It could be a boon in many ways . If GW's IP is full of holes. People could start producing Inter galactic armoured marines. In the southern hemisphere

This Lamassu nonsense is a step too far, surely? They don't own that in any way, shape or form... do they?

Wikipedia wrote:Lammasu and shedu are two distinct types of good-aligned creatures in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

Lammasu also appear in the Magic: The Gathering trading card game as the white card Hunted Lammasu[9] in the Ravnica: City of Guilds expansion.

A bull with a man's head is found among the creatures that make up Aslan's army in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He appears at the Stone Table, challenging the White Witch "with a great bellowing voice".

In the film Alexander, Lamassu are seen at the Ishtar Gate in Babylon.

In the Disney movie Aladdin, a gold Lamassu can be found in the scene where Aladdin and Abu enter the cave in the desert to find the lamp.

In the Games Workshop gaming system, Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Lamasu was a mount for the now discontinued Chaos Dwarf army.

A Lammasu briefly appears in the Fablehaven series.

I know it's not going to happen, but I did entertain a brief fantasy in which GW sent a C&D letter to Disney to immediately halt distribution of Aladdin. There'd be fights in the Disney office over which suit got to reply first!

ArbeitsSchu wrote:

aka_mythos wrote:The benefit to the southern hemisphere is simply that wholesalers and retailers in the southern hemisphere should likely see an increase in sales as they will no longer be diluted by imported sales.

Thats optimistic given that consumers outside the EU who have previously used imported sales will be looking at something like 40% increase in their costs. Unless this move is matched by a drop in retail price, I can't see there being a huge uptake in local sales. Certainly doesn't benefit the customers.

I think its unethical... smart given what they're trying to accomplish... but unethical. This is a case of GW putting its wholesale customer base over its end consumer base. GW hears its wholesalers and retailers crying out, that foreign imported sales are driving them out of business... GW has chosen to act to try and preserve those outlets which are bigger customers than any single individual in the southern hemisphere.

Kroothawk wrote:They took the Lamassu option off the shop and now just sell the Manticore.

Damn, why did they back down so quick?
A Lammasu isnt something they came up with (any more than they did the Manticore for that matter) so how come GW get to dictate who gets to make and sell models of it?

Possibly because, while the Lammasu IS a previously existing concept, the Raging Heroes version bore more than a passing resemblance to the older GW version?