Just following the latest drama... http://groups.google.com/group.....ball&lnk=ol&

Its amazing how a self-professed millionaire stays in business with such bad customer service.

Wayne is / was / and always will be a typically arrogant Australian fuckhead and gives a bad name to Wayne's everywhere.

and australians

No offense intended, but I haven't met a humble Australian yet......  there's always a first.  

Quoted from websherpa

No offense intended, but I haven't met a humble Australian yet......  there's always a first.  

What do you expect when you live in a place that pretty much everything that is indigenous is out to kill you?

Maybe Wayne will get eaten by a crock and then we won't have to listen to anymore crock.

In Wayne's defence I find it highly disreputable that someone would post his private email conversations without his approval.... but if memory serves I believe he's done this before himself.

Quoted from necro_nemesis

In Wayne's defence I find it highly disreputable that someone would post his private email conversations without his approval.... but if memory serves I believe he's done this before himself.

While I agree that the OP was just phishing for trouble, there isn't a single redeeming quality about Wayne Gillard that makes me want to give him an ounce of credit.  He's the "Scrooge" of pinball.

Some sources have told me that WMS is very close to pulling their licenses as they're getting tired of the BS.  Whether there's any merit behind those sources I can't say.. but I do hope that it's true.

Its a wonder this guy holds the license for WMS based on his caustic personality. It probably would be a mess revoking it and that's why he still has it.

Also, someone else would actually need to be able to pay for the licenses and conduct sufficient business to keep it going. That's the kicker, there's a lot involved and how many other people out there can just pick up and do business?

Thirdly, people like to try and poke a stick in Wayne's beehive which just exaggerates his craziness.

All said, if he responds appropriately to people offering or suggesting they will sell stuff he owns the rights to, that's the right thing to do. It's his unprofessional manner that kills his credibility. The fiasco with the machine remakes and his continuing to call himself a manufacturer of pinball machines further tarnishes his name.

If he is such a big businessman he should have form letters he can c/C to the appropriate individuals when people threaten to copy his stuff. But, he rambles off and makes it personal and insulting which is a byproduct of his less that ideal personality. Too bad, that might be his downfall.

Well if they don't renew his license I am sure Wayne will be the first to cease and desist any production of material.....

We can start with not producing and distributing MM or CC. He's already on track to meet the requirement.

The question needs to be asked... if Wayne loses his rights, who would take over? No one wants to fork out cash to do so.

Too bad... there are investment possibilities. even better if someone own s ALL the rights, Wayne AND Gene's. Less arguments then.

Quoted from Sparky

No one wants to fork out cash to do so.

What makes you think so. I would assume rights would fall under the same rules of supply and demand. Other than the legal costs of maintaining the rights by WMS there has to be some threshold where someone will buy the rights.

The community might be better served by someone holding the rights and licensing individuals to reproduce parts on a royalty basis. Maybe all the industry needs is a man in the middle to break down the individual rights and license suppliers?

On the other hand WMS may not find it economically sound to sell them. At that point I would hope they just simply release them where possible.

I remember from the movie Tilt, I believe it was Lyman Sheats that said it, they thought the company would be sold off as a whole but the longer they sat on their intellectual property the less it was of value down the road. The rights appear to have little value in a one horse town making pinball. If they have any I would think it is to satisfy the collectors only at this juncture. Stern seems to be able to produce new pinballs without them, however they may have some royalties they pay I am unaware of.

Quoted from necro_nemesis

What makes you think so. I would assume rights would fall under the same rules of supply and demand. Other than the legal costs of maintaining the rights by WMS there has to be some threshold where someone will buy the rights.

The community might be better served by someone holding the rights and licensing individuals to reproduce parts on a royalty basis. Maybe all the industry needs is a man in the middle to break down the individual rights and license suppliers?

On the other hand WMS may not find it economically sound to sell them. At that point I would hope they just simply release them where possible.

I remember from the movie Tilt, I believe it was Lyman Sheats that said it, they thought the company would be sold off as a whole but the longer they sat on their intellectual property the less it was of value down the road. The rights appear to have little value in a one horse town making pinball. If they have any I would think it is to satisfy the collectors only at this juncture. Stern seems to be able to produce new pinballs without them, however they may have some royalties they pay I am unaware of.

Stern is focused on making machines. Add a whole parts management and royalties acpect and you have to spend on personel to manage it all. I don't think Stern wants to bother, as their pins are not that old, nor is the company. They don't even bother with Data east or Sega stuff, as most of it has 3rd party licensing.

Bally, Williams and Gottlieb on the other hand have a much bigger population of machines out there. Many still on route. The parts business is still lucrative. But... in all 3 cases, the licensing is managed by lawyers, who probably don't give a care about managing royalties. I am sure they rather just get paid to give that responsability to someone else.

Hence, Gillard forking out money (rumored between 250000$ and 400000$) and Gene Cunningham also paying an undisclosed amount for rights.

by the way, in Gillard's own words.. it's a licensing fee that gets renewed annually.  WMS could simply decide not to renew them, I'm sure.

Quoted from machine.slave

by the way, in Gillard's own words.. it's a licensing fee that gets renewed annually.  WMS could simply decide not to renew them, I'm sure.

I believe it. And I have said it before. Cooperation with vendors and parts distributors can only lead to a prosperous business venture. I even suggested to Wayne a while back (yes... I did contact Wayne...) a central database where all licensed art can be available at a cost. I was of course never replied to.

Quoted from machine.slave

by the way, in Gillard's own words.. it's a licensing fee that gets renewed annually.  WMS could simply decide not to renew them, I'm sure.

Yep, I had that confirmed almost 2 years ago at the Allentown show.  Gillard's contract with WMS is perpetual, so the only way it will end is if WMS pulls the plug or Gillard doesn't pay the yearly license fee.

D