The Video Game Critic

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/265739-coleco-strong-arming-homebrew-publishers-and-fan-sites/

There is a discussion, started by a Colecovision fan page and including a reply from a Coleco rep, on Atariage about a takedown notice. The thread goes into who owns the trademark, adult homebrew games, rehashing the Coleco Chameleon, and other stuff.

It seems like the company that holds rights to some/all of the old assets of 30 years dead Coleco has a dispute with a fansite that is getting nasty. If you are a Colecovision fan, or buy Colecovision homebrews or tne Flashback, this might interest you. Like many Atariage threads though, it can go on for some length.

Looking at the pictures, Coleco's owners weren't 100% wrong. The packaging designs used their trademarks in a way in a way which could create the impression that these were official Coleco products.

Look at Activision or Imagic's old labels. They clearly state that they are compatible with, but not officially endorsed by, Atari.

The Trademark Co's letters are lame. They should've made it clear that they weren't interested in squashing fan-produced games; they (hopefully) only want the fans to make sure no one will mistake these as officially licensed products.

One thing I thought I saw was the Coleco offered to officially license some homebrew products. Now - if a homebrew game actually gets the company imprimatur, is it still a homebrew? Could it even mean the lifespan of the original product is still active?

Is the rights holder so concerned about preserving the integrity of a long-defunct company, or are looking for a way to make some easy money? I think they may be barking up the wrong tree.

By the way, I new to lighten up the links on this site. Dark-blue-on-black is hard to read.