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XBox (Games) Government The Courts News

Microsoft In Legal Battle Over Halo 2 Packaging 47

Posted by Zonk from the stealing-is-wrong dept.
Gamespot is running an article about a legal battle regarding Halo 2's metal case. From the article: "The suit reportedly claims that G&M was contacted by Microsoft in 2003 and was looking for a company to produce metal packaging for the release of Halo 2. G&M claims that Microsoft sent its case proposals to Viva, a potential rival for the contract and not part of the NDA. According to reports, the Danish design firm alleges that its proprietary technology was used in a Viva case made for Halo 2 and that Microsoft and Viva are in cahoots. G&M is suing for damages and requesting an injunction against both Microsoft and Viva."
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Microsoft In Legal Battle Over Halo 2 Packaging More

Microsoft In Legal Battle Over Halo 2 Packaging

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  • Proprietary technology? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by xTMFWahoo ( 470364 ) on Tuesday September 20, 2005 @05:37PM (#13608756) Homepage
    Did G&M invent a new alloy for the case or some metal stamping technology? If they copied their design, it's wrong, but is it really technology?

  • And the winners are... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by alvinrod ( 889928 ) on Tuesday September 20, 2005 @05:39PM (#13608769)
    ... the lawyers.

    Even though it's Microsoft that's getting sued, I think that we all have to admit that things are getting a little out of hand.

    At least this one's not over a software patent.

  • Pretty commonplace (Score:4, Insightful)

    by GigsVT ( 208848 ) on Tuesday September 20, 2005 @05:42PM (#13608796) Journal
    The packaging and printing industry is full of people trying to get something for nothing.

    People want nice looking packaging that has all kinds of crazy features, but they'll penny pinch and backstab to save a buck (like getting one place to design it on the assumption it'll be printed there, then taking the design somewhere else to br printed).

    It's a funny industry.
    • It's pretty normal in graphic design and all commercial art as well. My father was a commercial artist for the majority of his life, but eventually tired of spending hours to weeks working on mockups for designers only to find out that they rejected every trained artist in favor of the cheapest possible house-painter.
  • I don't see anything very dramatically different/innovative with Halo2's casing.

  • Stop me if you've heard this before (Score:5, Insightful)

    by wowbagger ( 69688 ) on Tuesday September 20, 2005 @05:59PM (#13608960) Homepage Journal
    Stop me if you've heard this before:
    1. Microsoft contacts small company and says "We are interested in your product - tell us more."
    2. Small company gives Microsoft information on product.
    3. Microsoft says "We'll sign an NDA - please tell us all about your product, including all the secret bits."
    4. Small company, drooling over the prospect of partnering with Microsoft, hands over all the information about their product.
    5. Microsoft says "Well, now that we've considered it, we aren't interested in your product - BYE!"
    6. Microsoft (or a company working with Microsoft) releases a product astonishingly similar to the first companies product, right down to the information provided to Microsoft under NDA.


    Orange telephone. Stack. Now these guys.

    Except that at least Orange and Stack were SOFTWARE - as in Microsoft's main focus.

    This is PACKAGING for crying out loud! This is NOT Microsoft's core competency!

    Are they just screwing companies over just to see if they can get away with it?

    Or does some buddy of Bill's own Viva?

    • Re:Stop me if you've heard this before (Score:5, Insightful)

      by sesshomaru ( 173381 ) on Tuesday September 20, 2005 @07:04PM (#13609472) Journal
      I'm reminded of this:
      "Why would a company like Microsoft do this?" asked Richard Lang, who is Burst's CEO and half the company workforce. "We were a little company. Microsoft could have had our technology for almost nothing, but instead they stole it. We called them on it, and they could have settled at any time, but they didn't. They stuck their heels in and won't give an inch even now. The only way I can make sense of this behavior is that they need to win no matter what the cost." -- Stupid Microsoft Tricks: Why the Richest Company on Earth Feels it Needs to Cheat [pbs.org]
      I think I've seen other examples of this behavior from Microsoft, but I find Burst's CEO's, "But why" amusing. It's that old story of the Frog and the Scorpion [allaboutfrogs.org].

      This is all well known enough for there to be this bit on The Simpsons

      Homer: I reluctantly accept your proposal!

      Bill Gates: Well everyone always does. Buy 'em out, boys!
      [Gates' lackeys trash the room.]

      Homer: Hey, what the hell's going on!

      Bill Gates: Oh, I didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks!
      [insane laughter]       -- SNPP:5F11 [snpp.com]

      To paraphrase Prostetnic Vogon Geltz [bbc.co.uk], "Apathetic bloody company, I've no sympathy at all."
    • "Microsoft (or a company working with Microsoft) releases a product astonishingly similar to the first companies product, right down to the information provided to Microsoft under NDA."

      This point would be more interesting if the resulting packaging wasn't extremely straight forward and simple. Then again, I don't think the issue here is that the packaging is similar, but rather that the technique that was used to make it was shared with a competitor.

      I have mixed feelings about this. If the 'proprietary te
  • ...(G&M) is suing Microsoft for breach of a nondisclosure agreement...

    G&M claims that Microsoft sent its case proposals to Viva

    If that is true and MS did share work that being done under a NDA then G&M deserves to be compensated. May I suggest a fair jury trial?

    ???
    3)Profit!

  • What they both posted is basically just rumors without sources.

    Links: http://www.glud-marstrand.com/sw67.asp [glud-marstrand.com]Glud & Marstrand Website Can't find anything here about the lawsuit. Earlier The Inquirer Article [theinquirer.net] 9-16 as opposed to 9-19, but equally shoddy on the details...no wait, slightly better in that it says the lawsuit is taking place in a washington court. (Washington in this case being a State of the United States).
    Viva's website is harder to pin down.
    A search for Microsoft on Washington's Courts W [wa.gov]
  • One of the interesting things about packaging in general is that, when it comes to manufacturing, there are numerous products our there where the packaging is more expensive than what it contains. I work in the food packaging industry and I can tell you that the packaging Frito uses for their bags is more expensive than the chips (crisps) they are putting in them. Judging from the Halo2 boxes, I would expect the same to be true (speaking strictly manufacturing costs)

    If MS truly did violate the NDA and
  • If we're talking about this company designing the box art for the collector's edition tin box, I'd suspect MS were super pissed when they got the results instead of the exciting we'd-never-have-thought-of-that art they were hoping for. It's the Halo 2 logo. ...in blue IIRC.

  • I wonder... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Retroneous ( 879615 )
    ...if the company in the UK that is marketing its range of "innovative packaging designs" by using its design for "The Hero" DVD in its advertising is affected?

    Especially since the design is exactly the same as Halo 2's, only with a little pair of black plastic goggles on the side as a clasp to keep the case closed.

    I thought that Halo 2's case was just a DVD case made of metal, with the case being cut into two seperate pieces (rather than the "norm", which is one continuous piece) and kept together by an

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