A TheOneRing.net Exclusive!
You read it here first, unless your a member of MM3D’s message boards 😉
Bridgette Patrovsky, CEO of MM3D, has posted an update on MM3D’s court case with Sierra. Bridgette was kind enough to give TheOneRing.net an exclusive on the story:
In the beginning, we filed in Ca. State court. Sierra claimed a jurisdiction issue and had the case ‘removed’ to federal court in May of 2001. (Los Angeles, Ca.)
Current Info
U.S. District Court
Central District of California (Western Div.)
CIVIL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 01-CV-4690
MM3D Inc v. Sierra On-Line Inc, et al
Filed: 05/24/01
Assigned to: Judge Christina A. Snyder
Jury demand: Defendant
Nature of Suit: 190 (civil, breach of contract)
Jurisdiction: Diversity
The Timeline
I believe these dates are correct but they may be off by a day or two. I’ve taken them from my personal notes. – Bridgette
05-24-01: The case was moved from State to Federal court.
06-11-01: They filed a motion to dismiss our claims.
06-18-01: We filed an opposition to their motion to dismiss.
06-25-01: They filed a response to our opposition filing.
07-03-01: Motion granted in part, denied in part. We were given leave to amend our complaint to fix it. (Note: We filed in State, not Federal, so we had to change our documents to meet the different Federal requirements.)
07-30-01: We filed an amended complaint and requested a jury trial.
08-16-01: They filed a motion to dismiss our amended (fixed) complaint. (The hearing date was set for 10am on 9-17-01)
08-30-01: We filed an opposition to their motion to dismiss.
09-10-01: They filed a response to our opposition.
09-17-01: Their motion to strike certain claims and motion to dismiss were denied by the court. (side note: They asked to have 4 claims dismissed out of the 11 we filed. All of our claims remained intact.)
What happens next?
They file a response to our complaint. After that, the case enters what is known as the discovery phase.
Discovery involves a long process of requesting documents, sending questions, taking depositions and basically, getting ready for trial.
I will be keeping a daily journal and making updates regularly. The updates will be less technical, and more personal. Stuff like: How does it feel to go through this? How is this effecting everyone?
On an even more personal note:
I appreciate your supportive emails and calls. I wish this hadn’t happened but since it did, I am confident that we are doing the right thing. This will be a long process. (as you can see from what it took just to get to the discovery phase)
Obviously, there is a lot I can’t talk about. Things have happened that aren’t mentioned above. Until the jury resolves this, I can’t give more detail. I will keep notes though and once this is over, I’ll write it all up.
Thank you,
Bridgette Patrovsky
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From John N:
I don’t know if this counts as a “spy report,” but I just received my new catalog for Department 56, the collectibles company best known for its Original Christmas Village and Snowbabies collectibles. As part of Department 56’s Hot Properties licensed collectibles series, it is producing a LOTR movie collection that include waterglobes, secret boxes, blown glass Christmas ornaments, figurines, ornament stands, and picture frames featuring the LOTR:FOTR characters, places, and the One Ring itself. The catalog notes that all designs are pending final approval, and you can see that some of the items are not even crafted yet because they are depicted as artist renderings rather than photos.
I have tried unsucessfully several times to include a scan of the catalog pages. You can find them at www.department56.com. I hope you find this information helpful.
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Ringer Spy Ed sends along these great pics of Boromir and Lurtz action figures!
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Pre-order of the Games Workshop range of Lord of the Rings products begins today!
Fellowship of the Ring Boxed Game
Relive the battles of the Fellowship of the Ring with the Lord of the Rings battle game – a tabletop strategy game for two or more players. In the box you’ll find a rulebook, dice and 48 highly detailed plastic miniatures – the ideal way to start your collection.
The Fellowship of The Ring
A boxed set of nine superbly detailed models portraying the characters from
the film The Fellowship Of The Ring.
Aragorn
Legolas
Boromir
Pippin
Merry
Gandalf The Grey
Gimli
Frodo
Sam
Also available are more warriors to expand your forces:
The Warriors of Middle-Earth boxed set contains 4 Men of Gondor, 8 Elves and 12 Moria Goblins.
Order all these products from the Games Workshop Online store:
http://www.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.gw
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Director Dan Timmons updated us on his wide-ranging Tolkien documentary, “The Legacy of ‘Lord of the Rings'”.
“On Sunday, September 23/01, we returned from a very successful trip to England. On the Friday, we went to Birmingham and started filming key landmarks of Tolkien’s childhood: his house on Oliver Road, his grammar school, Kings Edward’s, which is now being renovated into an office building (a crying shame, if you ask me). We went to Oxford and started attending Oxonmoot. Patrick Curry came from London and gave us a wonderful interview.
On Saturday, we were permitted to shoot the Dealer’s Room which included the most fabulous Tolkien materials: cards, posters, shirts, figurines, steel goblets, exquisite statuques, and on and on. Then we set out and filmed all the key Oxford and Tolkien landmarks: his first college, Exeter, Merton College, Bodleian Library, and, of course, “The Eagle and Child,” both outside and inside. (Some visiting New Zealanders allowed us to film them as they sat in one of the rooms where Tolkien, Lewis, Williams, and others would have met.)
Our biggest coup in the afternoon was at Tolkien’s long-time Oxford home:20 Northmoor Road. As we were filming the outside, the son of the owners came out and said he would ask his parents if we could go inside. His parents agreed and we had a wonderful impromptu interview. They told us some fascinating “inside information” which I won’t reveal until the documentary is finished. Let’s just say, I think we got a real “scoop.”
Later, we got permission from Tolkien artists to film their work in the Art Exhibt. Ted Nasmith was there, and we also interviewed Anke Eiszmann. We then interviewed John Garth, who is writing a book on Tolkien’s World War One experience. As well, we had the pleasure of interviewing some scholars and fans from Sweden and other parts of England. At night, I showed selections from my documentary to the attendees. Everyone seemed to really enjoy what we’ve done so far. As soon as I receive the necessary permissions, I plan to put some of these selections on my web site and on TORN.
On Sunday, we returned to the outskirts of Birmingham and filmed around Tolkien’s childhood home near the Sarehole Mill. It was so wonderful to walk among the fields, trees, river banks, where Tolkien played as child. At times, it was like we were walking in Middle-earth, since it was so obvious from where Tolkien drew his inspiration. Our footage of the tree-lined river seemed as if it was taken right from the Shire or even the Old Forest. We also filmed the Sarehole Mill (the model for theSandyman mill) and the Birmingham Oratory, where Tolkien spent much of hisyouth. We then returned to Oxford and spent time at Tolkien’s and his wife’s graves. I can’t describe how I felt being there.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. Now, we’ve completed most of the principal videography. Our only major interview left is Joseph Pearce. Soon, we’ll be in post-production. Hopefully, we’ll have our broadcast deal soon and the documentary will air before December 19/01.
If anyone has any questions about our documentary, please write to me: dan.timmons@utoronto.ca
Best wishes,
Dan”
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The Tolkien Ensemble is performing 3 concerts in Rundetaarn, Copenhagen.
6th October
11th October
3rd November
All concerts at 8PM
Address: Rundetaarn, Købmagergade 52A, 1150 Copenhagen K
The Tolkien Ensemble will perform both old “hits” and some brand new songs from The Lord of the Rings which will be recorded for Classico Records in the Autumn 2001. The Tolkien Ensemble are looking very much forward to the concerts!
Tickets (100 kr.): Billetnet, phone 70156565
Recording News:
The Danish/Brittish entertainer and singer Tom McEwan has agreed to take the role of Pippin on The Tolkien Ensemble’s next CD: “At Dawn in Rivendell.”
Tehanu’s review of the first two Tolkien Ensemble CDs is here
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