Skyrim LoTR Mod (MERP) shut down by WB - does this have implications for TATW?

[Lord Hamilton]

Guys, check this out!!: http://merp.straygenius.com/forum/vi...?f=271&t=10821

Any Elder Scrolls modding people will certainly recognize this mod - it's been in development FOREVER. WB (Warner Bros) just sent them a cease & desist order based on the Lord of the Rings copyright. Basically they've been forced to shut their mod down, given they don't have equivalent legal resources to combat this (IMHO) ridiculous claim.

I cant seem to find a ton of details out there on what parts WB took objection to, but MERP is similar to TATW in that it has "movie inspired" unit designs and locales, which are expanded on based on Tolkien's source material and the dev team's imagination...

Also, in a lot of the defenses of MERP, I see things like "Why did MERP get shut down when TATW is still around?" Not trying to necessarily sound the alarm here, but I really really really hope this doesn't impact this most wonderful piece of Total War modding...

[Emperor of Hell]

[PaulH]

That's a very sad piece of news to hear, and also a worrying one. Here's hoping that they will not come after TATW.

[StealthFox]

This is what King Kong does with Cease and Desist letters:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In all reality they have no claim to this. If the mod team could get a good lawyer they would win easily, and that's only if WB was stupid enough to take them to court. It's a shame they're just going to roll over and let WB walk all over them. In both cases (Skyrim and TATW) the mods are free to use, so the modders are not earning money off of copyrighted material. There may be some small claim that the Skyrim mod is taking money away from other LotR related sales, as some games already exist that are similar to Skyrim (The War in the North perhaps) but I think this would be hard to prove in court and a judge most likely wouldn't go for it. In the case of TATW, there is no turn based LotR strategy game that WB is marketing that TATW would be in direct competition with.

[Emperor of Hell]

They are in contact with a lawyer (it says so in the thread).

[Gimli]

Warner Bro's probably looked ahead. When MERP would be released it would have been a big hit with a big community. Warner Bro's wants people to buy their LOTR products so they can make money, if someone makes a big mod like that, its likely to attract more people and make less buy Warner Bro's products.

Look at Napoleonic Wars. Vince created Mount and Musket, biggest mod in Warband, it later became NW, and became a Mount and Blade Game.

[*Ranger*]

This is sad news, it may be due to the genre of the game that conflicts with WB's projects. Hopefully TATW has been around long enough for it to be safe. And its a type of game that WB wont want to make.

30,000 people have visited the Moddb page today.

[Mhaedros]

These big companies always need to screw the more talented people. I was even close to joining the team months ago. There is still hope though, didn't read through everything but it seems WB doesn't have anything to go on here

[The Forgotten]

I think if WB wanted to shut you guys down they would have done it by now... or at least tried.

[Alaeron]

They'll have to pry TATW from my cold, dead hands. Which means that, in the worst case scenario, I'll burn it on a DVD and treasure it forever.

But as others are saying, this mod has been around for quite a bit.

[Lortano]

In the case of TATW, there is no turn based LotR strategy game that WB is marketing that TATW would be in direct competition with.

So in other words, if WB made a turn based LotR strategy game, you guys could send them a Cease and Desist letter, because you got there first?

[MasterBigAb]

This is really an important topic.
I was in contact with one of their developers already weeks ago, he told me of that problem and asked whether the TA Team has experience of that kind and whether we found a way to cooperate or are allowed to keep Third Age. I also have to say that we have NOT (yet) been contacted for anything like that, this might be due to either a) they do not know of Third Age (which I do NOT hope for, as phrases like "Why did MERP get shut down when TATW is still around?" would then directly mean danger for the Third Age mod), or b) they do know but it is too "small" or unimportant for them to care.

One has to make a difference between a game like Skyrim V and Medieval 2. The market and the income is a complete different dimension. Also Skyrim spreads mods via Steam, so with such mods the developers would or might make more money. So I personally think that due to it being such other dimension they do indeed care, cause they fear others might get money or they won't although they do have (and payed) for the license.

Like Gimli put it nicely:

Warner Bro's probably looked ahead. When MERP would be released it would have been a big hit with a big community. Warner Bro's wants people to buy their LOTR products so they can make money, if someone makes a big mod like that, its likely to attract more people and make less buy Warner Bro's products.

Look at Napoleonic Wars. Vince created Mount and Musket, biggest mod in Warband, it later became NW, and became a Mount and Blade Game.

All in all I can just say let's hope we do not get contacted, for I doubt anyone of us has the money, the will and strength to go through some legal process (court/lawyer) and fight for Third Age being allowed to endure...

[Pyres Δt Varanasi]

Well Boys Back Up your TATW in your hard drives hahaha XD

[athanaric]

The best part of this is that all commercial LotR games I've encountered so far suck when compared to mods like TATW or FATW. Maybe that's why they want to shut down mods, because having a lore based Skyrim (or other) mod around doesn't make the generic fantasy based commercial games look too good.

[Asterix]

There was a LOTR based Skyrim mod in development?! AND IT WAS SHUT DOWN BY WARNER BROS?!?!?!
GAAHH! Words can't explain the epicness that WB shut down.

[Dwarven Berserker]

I'd almost think WB is desperately trying to get more profit out of their licence by any means possible. Wouldn't be too much of a surprise considering War in the North was a mediocre game at best and didn't give them at much profit as they'd hoped for.

Sad that they shut down a mod which was potentially better then anything they could have put out, though as said before, I don't think (or hope) TATW is in any direct danger.

[Gimli]

Honestly, you can all have your opinions about that the team has a lawyer and stuff like that...Facing a company like Warner Bro's have lawyers easily fight it back...And they wouldn't send a cease & desist letter without proper reasoning.

[Magpire]

It has always been the modding community that has shown WB how a Lore based LOTR game is supposed to be done...they are just money grabbing and dont care what the real fans want so are always doomed to fail at making LOTR games and because they see a potential threat from a good idea they want to kill it while its young...it wouldve been soooooooooo *%@$&*&*ing gooooood!...><

[paradamed]

WB is probably planning to release a RPG based on LOTR. They probably saw MERP as a threat since they would have to put a lot of effort into making a better game than a LOTR mod in the skyrim engine. They would have to at least release a game as good as the mod which I doubt it would happen. I doubt TATW is in peril since it is built for an old engine and devs really have put strategy games aside. I mean, with the exception of CA titles how many decent RTS have had major releases? Maybe only starcraft that I remember.

[Elensul]

oO
money makers, poor money makers ...

The MERP team => go to russia there is no WB or copyright))))