It has almost been a week since the monumental case of Games Workshop v. Chapterhouse Studios has officially ended (baring a lovely appeal by one of the parties).
What we know is GW lost on most counts and extracted a paltry 25k from Chapterhouse.
Expect the Chapterhouse Kickstarter any day now...
For those who somehow missed the verdict last week here are some links which can help you with your information deprived existence.
http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2013/06/legalwatch-games-workshop-vs_14.html
http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2013/06/chapterhouse-attorneys-declare-victory.html
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/4890/355433.page#5739537
Ok, caught up to speed? Good.
So, what to make of this whole three-year running affair?
Well this is a major loss for GW. Minor win for Chapterhouse. BUT!
I huge win for other third-party bits makers and maybe an even bigger win for us the consumer.
Besides the legal fees GW used in the case, it seems that GW cannot go all crazy claiming words like Jetbike or Space Marine as their own personal purview and domain. It also means the shoulder pad industry is safe from litigation. On the other hand, Chapterhouse has to stop selling total Eldar ripoffs like the Doomseer.
It is safe to say GW was a total trademark troll when it came to trying to silence competition, oddly competition that made them more money. That was the most annoying facet of this case; GW idiocy in not understanding that the add-on industry made them money because they had to buy the base model from them first. Secondarily, GW obliviousness to the car industry's secondary market as a blueprint for Chapterhouse's defense.
The verdict is a minor victory for Chapterhouse because even by "winning" they still have a large penalty to pay for company its size. They also have to change their website, business, and be under intense scrutiny going forward. Now, it is hard to tell, but the publicity this case provided Chapterhouse could easily outweigh any of the negatives.
Everyone else though were true winners. Now we finally have a legal construction of how a third-party maker can do business and choice is guaranteed for the consumer. By far the biggest development is the fair use of trademark words on websites. No more "Space Soldier" models or use of 20mm or 40mm scale to understand what parts can fit one what model. Now a company can simply put up "compatible with standard Space Marine".
You combo that with all the other trademarks GW lost and you have a very healthy avenue for any company to proceed.
The only problem with this third-party shangri la is some of the largest and recognizable third-party add-on makers don't reside in the US. So, don't expect Scibor or Maxmini to suddenly change what they are doing.
As for the consumer we get choice, we won't be forced to just buy GW products to get the bits we want. It also means that GW will never release rules for a model without the model released at the same. It also means that GW will have the bit for every combination of wargear a model can have at release.
No more Tyranid Warriors without Boneswords included, and no more Thunder Cav years after a codex release. It also might mean that GW will get back into the bits business, especially with their new anti-bits policy in place.
This decision will only push GW as well.
GW claims that protecting its IP is for quality control reasons, and not monopolistic impulses. This decision will make sure they keep on making the best looking models; as healthy third parties keep pushing higher quality standards. GW will continue to be the industry leader, and maybe someday GW will realize add-on makers feed their bottom-line as they grow the hobby.
Highly unlikely I know, especially when you consider the venom they spew at all other mini makers for "stealing" their ideas; especially rich coming from the miniature company that invented the practice.
Finally, the one thing you shouldn't expect from GW, is any mention of the legal case anywhere. Even if they won and crushed Chapterhouse, GW still has their inane no talk to outside world rules in place.
edit this just in right on que Chapterhouse Kickstarter coming and Tau add-ons...
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