Talk:Eridani Light Horse

[Scott Malcomson responds] There is no argument to be made that the work was not accepted, and published as canon material, by Fantasy Productions.

Under the publication laws of the United States, there is no difference between electronic and physical publication.

FanPro chose to use my material, without permission, as the online resource for history regarding the Eridani Light Horse. It was published online in a canon format with absolutely no waivers to the contrary. These facts are a matter of public record, which I have preserved in their original electronic format, to include statements by FanPro's official representatives that anything FanPro publishes on its CBT website is canon material.

Removing my material from the website, after using it for in excess of a year, does not remove canonicity. It merely relegates my material to the status of "out of print".

I should once again reiterate that this material was originally used by FanPro WITHOUT PERMISSION. FASA never cut a contract or made any agreement for its use; it does not belong to the company slushpile that FanPro inherited. If Fantasy Productions is now choosing to renege on the agreement that I would forgo legal action and allow the use of my material in exchange for its recognition as canon material, and myself as an accredited Battletech author, then I would have cause to pursue legal action for fraud, copyright infringement, and breach of contract under Arizona and federal law.

Therefore, until and unless FanPro makes an official statement rejecting the original terms of our agreement --- and, to my understanding, they have not done so, certainly not in the form of any communications to me --- I must request that you remove the challenge to my work's legitimacy.

On the other hand, if indeed someone from FanPro has made such a statement, I will require identification of the person responsible and, if any copy of the statement can be made available, a legible copy thereof. I will thereafter confirm with FanPro any such statement prior to making a decision regarding legal action.

Until that point, I am perfectly happy to be considered "official, but out of print".

I asked about your statement on the CBT.com discussion forums. You can read the responses I got here. What it boils down to is that WizKids holds all the rights to everything BattleTech and they can do whatever they want with it, including declaring previously canon materials non-canon. --Scaletail 09:42, 22 July 2007 (CDT)

[Scott Malcomson responds] Checked your link. Firstly, not one of the respondents is either WizKids or FanPro staff. You have forum moderators speaking, who are volunteers presenting personal opinions. As such, all such statements are unofficial. Not to mention the fact that the statements which ARE made are contradictory, including one that states my work is in fact canon.

Secondly, none of my original material contradicts any currently-canon material. According to the standards set by FASA, and currently adhered to by WizKids and FanPro, new material merely UPDATES older material. And it does so purely on an entry-by-entry basis. Only in the event of a specific conflict between the works does the newer version take precedence; the existence of a newer version does not result in the older version being removed from canon. Note also that while Battletechnology was never canon, it was also declared from the beginning to be non-canon. My material bears no such disclaimer.

Bearing all of this in mind, FanPro published my work as canon in 2001. As such, any conflicts which appear in previously-published material were updated and replaced by my own work. This would include Field Manual: ComStar, which appeared in 1999. Only material which has been published since 2001 can have an impact on the canonicity of my material, barring an official statement to the contrary from WizKids/FanPro.

Hey all. What about the information provided in the Mercenary's Handbook? There's a relatively complete history as well as a full unit description. It's all based on 3026, but it might be worthwhile to reference. And it's FASA supplied information. Bdevoe 22:47, 27 July 2007 (CDT)

If you would like to use that as the basis for starting the article, please do so. I don't have that particular book, so I cannot use it as a source, though I do intend to actually write up an article for the ELH when I get the time using the books I do have. Be bold and do it! Scaletail 21:33, 29 July 2007 (CDT)

Will do, when I get back to the homestead (on travel right now). I also need to do the 12th Star Guards when I get a chance. :) Bdevoe 19:46, 30 July 2007 (CDT)