Haruspex
02/27/08 09:47 PM
219.93.29.98
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I was wondering about how 'Mech designs are handled in BattleTech. Is each one the intellectual property of the first to produce it? For example the Fafnir was made by Defiance Industries so I assume they own the rights to it. So from what I know of IP (not much) anyone else who manufactured a Fafnir could be sued or worse, if such measures exist in the Inner Sphere.
I suppose a faction hostile to Steiner could make one, lawsuits be damned, but generally businesses try to avoid such things. On that note, I suppose a license could be acquired for another company to produce the Fafnir or something like that.
Does anyone know how this works in BTech?
"If we were to plot the distance between where you are RIGHT NOW and the nearest good idea it would describe a line too big to fit inside the universe."
-Black Mage
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Christopher_Perkins
02/28/08 12:03 AM
67.166.179.76
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You have got it.
BattleMechs are just like Cars, Tanks, Busses, Fighters, Computers, Etc.
BattleMech Designs are property of Manufacturers, but there is Liscencing, Reverse Engineering and outright Industrial Espionage...
Take for example how the Light Fusion Engine was stolen from the Wolf Dragoons by The Lyran Commonwealth (chrowlll the ice kzinrette) and the Star League (lite) Stepped in, and how I believe it is the Taurian Concordant took 25 years to develop a Hatchetman Clone... and the Kuritans managed it sooner, but I am not sure if they ever perfected the full head ejection system that the original comes with
Christopher Robin Perkins
It is my opinion that all statements should be questioned, digested, disected, tasted, and then either spit out or adopted... RHIP is not a god given shield
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Askhati
02/28/08 04:16 AM
146.232.65.6
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But what about designs that are produced in by different factories by different locations? Something like the Spider or Catapult - were the factories left-over from the first SL days, or did the manufacturers just copy/reverse engineer the designs to set up their own factories?
Evolve or DIE!
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Fang
02/28/08 06:38 AM
65.14.229.26
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Both. I think most were existing from the SL days, while some sprang up more recently.
One by one, the rabbits are stealing my sanity.....
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Haruspex
02/28/08 10:43 AM
203.188.239.84
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So those olde 'Mechs can be produced by anyone since the IP holder (Terran Hegemony) is no more? Wonder how the Clans handle this sort of thing. A Trial of Possession maybe.
"If we were to plot the distance between where you are RIGHT NOW and the nearest good idea it would describe a line too big to fit inside the universe."
-Black Mage
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Fang
02/28/08 10:53 AM
12.47.205.126
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If a clan comes up with a design and another wants it as well, there is a trial of possession I believe. This is one of the reasons in the canon fluf why it seems that certain clans field certain designs much more than others. A lot of older IS mechs were usually House specific. Wouldn't normally see the FWL producing Victors when they were introduced. And it seems that each House had its own variant of the original canon designs as well. Just look at how many there were for the Marauder, ect. DUring the Terran Hegemony, I believe no one else had mechs at all until the Lyrans stole the information. Never trust a Lyran.
One by one, the rabbits are stealing my sanity.....
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Christopher_Perkins
03/01/08 01:52 PM
67.166.179.76
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The Catapult was produced by Hollis Incorporated in a limited production run between 2561 and 2563 under a special military contract with the Star League (TR 3025)
The Catapult was produced by Hollis Incorporated in a limited production run between 2571 and 2573 under a special military contract with the Star League (TR 3025 Revised)
Someone needs to ask which is the correct dates...
humm, so yes, it looks like the design was owned by the star league rather than being designed by the company and shopped out to the militaries / countries as normal.
Objective Raids does not show the Catapult as being in production in 3054
Does TR 3050 Upgraded show that someone has picked up the design?
Humm, Not sure how canon this is, but Hollis Industries is placed on the Planet Corey in the Capellan Confederation by this site [url=http://www.pryderockindustries.com/pryderockindustries/industries/croutoncommand/CCOR.html] humm, Pryde has his own universe set up, and this might be for that rather than the Canon one... reading further, no, notes in other pmanufacturers look like he is keeping with the Canon for that page you might ask him what book that came from...
humm, gonna check the House Liao Sourcebook.. Nothing..
Edited by Christopher_Perkins (03/01/08 07:41 PM)
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Christopher_Perkins
03/01/08 07:55 PM
67.166.179.76
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Better spelled out...
For the Most Part
Weapon Designs (e.g. GM WhirlWind Autocannon AC/5 is property of General Motors)
Vehicles (e.g. Quickscell Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun is property of Quickscell)
BattleMechs (e.g. MAD-3R Marauder is Property of General Motors)
Fighters (e.g. SPR-5H Sparrow Hawk is property of Warner Incorporated)
etc are the property of the companies that design and manufacture them
Some designs that are developed by the House or Faction design teams or Institutes that own their deigns on the behalf of the House (NAIS, etc.) will be owned by the Faction. it also depends on the Degree of private ownership of the Faction involved... OTOH, if the Companies Name appears on the Manufacturer line, then they can be assumed to own the design and if other companies are mentioned in the TRO article or other canon fiction then they are producing items for the design or are Liscenced Manufactrers
In clan space, where there is practicly no private ownership, the Faction will outright own the design or weapon and while other clans can reverse engineer the design, they are more likely to Challenge for the Right to produce the design or have a certain number of items produced for them... The Most recent example of this that i am aware of is the Bear Hunter "Autocannon" Heavy Machine Gun that was originally produced by some forgettable clan and taken as Isorla by the very clan that it was intended to keep in line...
Christopher Robin Perkins
It is my opinion that all statements should be questioned, digested, disected, tasted, and then either spit out or adopted... RHIP is not a god given shield
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