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Christopher Low

AMAZING NEWS !!!

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I have just received an e-mail from Mark Embleton of PC Pilot magazine, indicating that Flight Unlimited 3 could be re-released on the SOLD OUT budget label very soon !!! This is absolutely AWESOME news.I will let you know if I hear anything else.:-jumpy Chris Low.


Christopher Low

UK2000 Beta Tester

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Chris.Well maybe there is some hope for this old software after all.With all addons made for this sim over the years, it should be available again for new users.Thank you for the Good news!!Lars Peter.:-)

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Guest Staggerwing

Be nice if it included FU2 so users could have ALL the scenery areas to use. Still good news to all but those who spent $50 on the last used copies offered :-)

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Guest Seadog

Chris, have you ever discovered to a certainty who now owns the rights to FU3?In the normal course of events here in the States, when a company such as LGS goes bankrupt and is liquidated, a Trustee is appointed to attempt to sell off the company's assets, such as the intellectual property consisting of each of the programs. The object is to raise funds to pay off creditors. The Trustee finds a buyer and a contract is presented to the Bankruptcy Judge, who enters an order approving the sale. The records of all this are not available on the internet, but would be in the files of the US Bankruptcy Court for the district in which the case was filed, probably the District of Massachusetts in Boston.It is very unlikely but not impossible that Electronic Arts or Eidos had any rights to the intellectual property of the program itself prior to the Bankruptcy in May 2000. It is also unlikely that no buyer was found and the rights were simply abandoned, or we'd likely have heard that before now.Whoever bought and owns the intellectual property also automatically owns the Copyright, under which a license must be granted to permit re-publication of the game by any other party. So the party which newly publishes FU3 may either be the owner of those rights or a licensee of the owner. In any event, I'm wondering what you know about the actual ownership of those property and copyright rights?-Seadog

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Seadog,All I know is that a legal dispute between Electronic Arts and others (presumably people involved with Looking Glass Studios at a high level) had blocked any chance of a budget release for FU3. Presumably these issues have been sorted out...although I nervously await confirmation from Mark :-)I would be VERY interested to know how this legal situation was resolved.Chris Low.


Christopher Low

UK2000 Beta Tester

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Guest juvat2

I think a clue to all this is Looking Glass Studios' Attack Squadron.If I understand it correctly, Electronic Arts allowed distributor Xicat to get Mad-doc to further develop it. It was sold under the Janes/Xicat label as Janes Attack Squadron. Several of the original Looking Glass Studios Attack Squadron designers seem to have been hired on by Mad-doc to help with their final product. It's obvious Jas was not what the LGS Attack Squadron or Jas team had in mind as the final product; but I imagine, as always, money prevented Mad-doc from fully developing this potentially fine combat sim the way they wanted. As is evident in their posting at simhq jas forum.So, looks like to me Electronic Arts is the "big cheese" owner of LGS old property. JimBI agree with you all about Flt2 being included. Timed with a Sold-out release, I think a PC Pilot cd with the Swiss, and UK Hi-res regions and their packages would be appropriate. And then there's the new Ai Model package! Plus the new aircraft in development by you guys, plus..plus..plus.......All positives, no negatives :-xxrotflmao

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Guest Seadog

Chris,I'd be interested in it as well, both from the standpoint as an FU3 user and supporter, and from the standpoint as an attorney who has a lot of experience with contracts and a modest amount of experience with the US Bankruptcy courts.Once LGS went into bankruptcy liquidation, the senior members of that company no longer had any control over the program. The company owned it (presumably), not them, and the Trustee would then have taken over control of it to sell it. If LGS had already sold it well before the bankruptcy filing (earlier than 120 days), that would be another matter. Either way, anyone (including EA) could be the current owner. Also in either case, the senior members of the former LGS would have no power over it.It has to be a very complex situation indeed for there to be a dispute between EA and any others over ownership, since part of the Bakruptcy process is designed to resolve that question. I can imagine a few unlikely hypothetical scenarios, but none could involve senior members of the former LGS simply by virtue of their having held such positions. That's because, in a liquidation bankruptcy, the company has to give up all its assets entirely.A more likely speculative scenario is that EA is the current owner, outright, of FU3. Further assume EA won't agree to anyone re-publishing the program unless the revenue stream is first dedicated to cover any losses EA experienced in connection with the first release, unrecovered advances to LGS, that sort of thing. That would be very unpalatable to a new publisher, but well within EA's rights to set as a condition if it were the owner. So my best guess based on hardly any known facts is that there is no dispute over ownership rights, but there are contentious discussions over revenue allocation with EA demanding more than the customary share.EA's position would always be growing weaker because market demand grows weaker as the program ages. EA would have to decide whether to continue receiving nothing in perpetuity, or to take what it can get today, as the passage of time continues reducing that possible sum. At some point, getting anything would be better than getting nothing. Perhaps that point has been reached.-Seadog

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Guest shazam75

Chris Your a genius, we love you!RegardsShelton.

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Shelton,Hey, I'm only the messenger here. It's Mark at PC Pilot magazine that you have to thank for keeping me updated regarding this. By the way, he has contacted me again to state that he is waiting for confirmation from SOLD OUT, but that he is assured that it is 100% definite !I will post more info as soon as I receive it.Chris Low.:-jumpy


Christopher Low

UK2000 Beta Tester

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Guest effyouthree

Just to chime in...:-jumpy :-jumpy :-jumpyChris, you should have recieved my feelings on this subject :-roll Please keep us all posted :-waveRegards,**************Jonathan Point**************"I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here"

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Guest twsimfan

Too bad there isn't likely to be any updating in the mean time. No adaptation to newer hardware or any software changes like the combination of SF & Sea scenery into one package... let alone the addition of additional (or updated) aircraft and/or scenery.OK... I know you guys have done all that... but you know what I mean. ;)

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Guest esveld

The do sell FU2, now for 5 pounds. http://www.sold-out.co.uk/I ordered FU2 there some two years ago, but the order was never delivered. Neither did answer my mails.Afin, that didn't work out, and I never persueded the matter much.Erik Esveld

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Erik,That is very strange. SOLD OUT have been excellent whenever I have ever purchased anything from them, and their products are of very high quality (packaging, presentation, installation procedure etc).Chris Low.


Christopher Low

UK2000 Beta Tester

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Guest effyouthree

Got my FU2 through Sold Out about 2 years ago. Ordered it on the 'net and received it (in Australia) about 3 weeks later.Not bad for AUD$15, I thought ;)You should take up the issue with them again.:-waveRegards,**************Jonathan Point**************"I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here"

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Guest CaptRolo

Hummmm! all this sounds very interestingCaptRolo

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