OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

[allstarsplus]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

– Upper Deck agreed it will not make any new sets of cards using MLB logos, uniforms, trade dress, or Club color combinations.

– Upper Deck also agreed it will not airbrush, alter or block MLB marks in future products.

– Upper Deck must receive approval from MLB for the use of baseball jerseys, pants, jackets, caps, helmets or catcher’s equipment in future products featuring players.

Joel - Thanks for the post! This information is amazing as you have to wonder the future of UD in baseball cards.

I also found it interest the prior approval needed for the game used cards.

[joelsabi]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

Good Read Andy!

First the Kobe debacle, then Tiger, Yu-Gi-O, and now MLB! Yikes. Seems like some shady business over at UD. At least this one isn't some much of a damaging lawsuit. At least in terms of the financial aspect - only $2.4m -

Major League Baseball Properties settled its trademark infringement lawsuit against Upper Deck on Wednesday.

MLBP released a statement detailing the non-confidential portions of the agreement on Wednesday evening.

“Our settlement in the case against Upper Deck is a clear and decisive victory for Major League Baseball,” said Ethan Orlinsky, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Major League Baseball Properties. “Upper Deck will be unable to release baseball trading cards that incorporate Major League Baseball’s intellectual property in the future. The real winners today are the millions of fans who collect baseball cards. They will be able to clearly identify official Major League Baseball trading cards without any confusion.”

Here is a summary of the non-confidential portions of the settlement:

– Upper Deck will pay MLB Properties more than $2.4 million (the entire amount in dispute) for Upper Deck’s 2009 debts.

– Upper Deck will pay MLB Properties a substantial sum of money for the unlicensed cards it sold in 2010. The specific sum of that payment is confidential.

– Upper Deck has agreed not to issue any additional releases of infringing cards. Last year it issued 15 baseball card releases and there are currently only three infringing releases that are in distribution in 2010.

– Upper Deck agreed it will not make any new sets of cards using MLB logos, uniforms, trade dress, or Club color combinations.

– Upper Deck also agreed it will not airbrush, alter or block MLB marks in future products.

– Upper Deck must receive approval from MLB for the use of baseball jerseys, pants, jackets, caps, helmets or catcher’s equipment in future products featuring players.

[TriplexXxSports]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

Wow, it keeps getting worse for Upper Deck. Now MLB has a lawsuit against them!

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/02/02/m.../?sms_ss=email

Good Read Andy!

First the Kobe debacle, then Tiger, Yu-Gi-O, and now MLB! Yikes. Seems like some shady business over at UD. At least this one isn't some much of a damaging lawsuit. At least in terms of the financial aspect - only $2.4m -

[allstarsplus]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

Wow, it keeps getting worse for Upper Deck. Now MLB has a lawsuit against them!

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/02/02/mlb-files-trademark-infringement-lawsuit-against-upper-deck/?sms_ss=email

[WadeInBmore]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

For those playing along at home, here's a follow up...with details still to follow.

http://beta.beckett.com/group/223464/?tab=tabArticles&p=963166&utm_source=012810hobbyemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Top%20Story#ViewArticle

wade

[MSpecht]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

Buy a used copy of Card Sharks for about four bucks and you will be amazed !!!

http://www.amazon.com/Card-Sharks-Hi...3610262&sr=8-1

Mike

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

We talked about Upper Deck before and the "game used" card pieces and what a joke those are.

On the UDA side of the hall, they continue to put out some of the finest pieces and announced today for the big dealers a Jack Nicklaus program. I was thinking maybe that is to fill the void for Tiger Woods. They did something similar when they lost Kobe Bryant they brought in Dwayne Wade.

Upper Deck on a whole has so many challenges and the card side with this Yu-Gi-Oh thing is obviously got its work cut out for them.

I can't imagine that there are too many of us on here that are better off today (financially) then we were 5 years ago.

The true fabric of one's makeup is how we deal with the myriad of choices we have in front of us. Upper Deck isn't the 1st company to face financial hardships. You can choose to sell fakes and frauds as so many have or you can persevere along the right paths.

The last 7 years in this industry have been so difficult for dealers because like never before we have had to adapt to the mine field of which athletes are going to morally blow up in our faces. Here's my personal quick list that have turned my stomach and hit my wallet: Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Tiger Woods just to name a few.

Sometimes we are the innocent 3rd parties of these athletes issues and the Barry Bonds problem creeped up while the economy was booming so I don't think the 2 are certainly mutually exclusive and more a coincidence of timing.

David, TNTtoys, bigtruck260... and of course Andrew,

+1, all of you

I feel your pain Andrew. If it wasn't so hard to sift through the forgeries, I'd tell you to stick to the "dead" guys. Their stories are told. There ARE no more surprises there. Because today, if you're an athlete, and your breathing air.......every day to come is a potential landmine for all of us, collectors OR dealers.

ivo610.....no offense intended in my comments my friend.

But in a strange way.....everything is connected.

[ivo610]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

I really want to respond to a couple post before me for even bringing up Hati and what has happened there but I will just let it go. But really? Connecting what happened in Hati to some illegal printings of some asian cards? I want to get political (and the god bless comment) on this but I will hold my tongue as this is not the place.

[bigtruck260]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

Sorry for the rediculous rambling. But obviously, I feel strongly about it. I think we are all under too much pressure. But that's just me.

Steve - I don't agree with everything you say in other posts...but thanks for taking the time to sum up my feelings on the matter...

[allstarsplus]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

I agree with much of what you said.

When I see wealthy people acting unethically just to gain more wealth, I often say "There are worse things than being poor."

p.s., I'm not suggesting or insinuating or implying that wealthy people, or bank executives etc, in general are less ethical than the rest of the population, or that being wealthy equates with being unethical.

We talked about Upper Deck before and the "game used" card pieces and what a joke those are.

On the UDA side of the hall, they continue to put out some of the finest pieces and announced today for the big dealers a Jack Nicklaus program. I was thinking maybe that is to fill the void for Tiger Woods. They did something similar when they lost Kobe Bryant they brought in Dwayne Wade.

Upper Deck on a whole has so many challenges and the card side with this Yu-Gi-Oh thing is obviously got its work cut out for them.

I can't imagine that there are too many of us on here that are better off today (financially) then we were 5 years ago.

The true fabric of one's makeup is how we deal with the myriad of choices we have in front of us. Upper Deck isn't the 1st company to face financial hardships. You can choose to sell fakes and frauds as so many have or you can persevere along the right paths.

The last 7 years in this industry have been so difficult for dealers because like never before we have had to adapt to the mine field of which athletes are going to morally blow up in our faces. Here's my personal quick list that have turned my stomach and hit my wallet: Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, and Tiger Woods just to name a few.

Sometimes we are the innocent 3rd parties of these athletes issues and the Barry Bonds problem creeped up while the economy was booming so I don't think the 2 are certainly mutually exclusive and more a coincidence of timing.

[TNTtoys]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

But last I knew, wasn't Haiti in a French controled territory? Where are they in this mess?

Where does it all end? Why is it always America?

It's truly amazing how the USA is always at the forefront of any global humanitarian / relief effort, tirelessly giving our money, our time, our resources, our people, our troops, etc. to helping others who have far greater needs than we could imagine. But to me, that is what it means to be an American, and (apart from the financial realities of it all) it's something I am proud of.

And then I spend 5 years of my life living abroad only to see how much Anti-Americanism there is throughout the world. Kind of makes your stomach turn...

So, on this topic, I agree with Steve... but I'll get off of the soapbox. This is a game-used forum.

[David]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

I agree with much of what you said.

When I see wealthy people acting unethically just to gain more wealth, I often say "There are worse things than being poor."

p.s., I'm not suggesting or insinuating or implying that wealthy people, or bank executives etc, in general are less ethical than the rest of the population, or that being wealthy equates with being unethical.

[suicide_squeeze]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

I'm going to share an unpopular opinion..............but what else is new, right?


What we are seeing is just another latest example of the younger generation of "executives" driving a once great company nose first into the ground.

I do NOT want to turn this into a political debate, but this is a picture perfect case of the mentality into today's business world, and more in general in the world overall.

How can such a successful company be faced with such a disastrous situation? Because an IDIOT made a fatal decision in regards to the operations, and it is due to the pressure we are all under in todays socio-economic make-up.

Employees salaries are generally huge these days, and are without question the largest portion of the overhead of any companies balance sheet. Therefore, every company is under constant pressure to "perform" to make ends meet.

We as a society simply refuse to "tighten the belt" and do what is necessary to stay in the black. Since everything is falling into the read because of this mindset (like our Government spending, state and local too), some people who are afraid to be viewed as "failures" because they can't do it the right way, turn to choices that are brutally wrong.

Like doing something illegal which they ignorantly felt they may be able to avoid being caught doing.

What an IDIOT these guys who were responsible for making these decisions at Upper Deck were. It's just another example of our "global economy" at work. Our manufacturing industry is a ghost town. We can't compete with .40 cents-an-hour labor. We can't impose our strick building materials laws on items manufactured overseas that we import. We therefore will be adding to our bankrupted health care problems due to the fact our cancer rates will increase because of the items made in China with lead, mercury, poisonous plastics, paints, the ongoing deterioration of our ozone layer......

New bulletin folks: Our parents and grandparents lived through the greatest years. We're here to deal with problems that I'm not sure we're up to the task in taking them on. There is a methodically slow deterioration of everything good going on right before our eyes. Ideologies, leadership breakdowns, morals, integrity. Day by day, month by month, another one pops up. And in our bankrupt country, we still are looked at to be the first and largest "aid" to anyone in the world who needs help.

God bless those poor unfortunate people in Haiti and what they are suffering through right now. And kiss more of our taxpaying money good bye as we send it to them, while we let our own ailments here sink further into trouble we will struggle for decades to get out of. But last I knew, wasn't Haiti in a French controled territory? Where are they in this mess?

Where does it all end? Why is it always America?

I bring all this up because we don't see the pressures of "making it" that we are jamming down the throats of our own people....our own existence.

And hense, we end up with pressues that lead to the iconic decisions to print forgeries of little Japanese cartoon characters so we can continue the farce of being successful.

It's all slowly, ending badly right before our eyes.

Sorry for the rediculous rambling. But obviously, I feel strongly about it. I think we are all under too much pressure. But that's just me.

[David]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

I should add that with a different company, I did calculations on a insert set and realized the the advertised card population versus insert rate was mathematically impossible. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, though, and figured they did some rounding of numbers.

[David]

Re: OT: Upper Deck and Yu-Gi-Oh

I had heard the 89UD extra printing stories before, but don't know if they are true.

Doing nefarious secret printings can ruin a card company, as the customers will lose confidence in the their product. If a company says the printed 5,000 of a card, they customers want to have confidence in this number.