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Oliver have you been....

H8-SuperstarPosted on 10/21/04 at 05:49:57

told by WWE not to use their wrestlers or delete links of WWE wrestlers? I know PW and EWR have been told so.
Rick GarrardPosted on 10/21/04 at 06:42:29

If I remember correctly Oliver at one time had a deal worked out with WWE, WCW and ECW.  But right before the deal was set to run out was when Oliver made the move to make the wrestler export files seperate from the program.

The exports are offered for free, therefore, Oliver makes NO money off of their names or likenesses.  And the program itself is highly useable without ANY of the WWE exports as you can make your own characters as many of us have done.

The way Oliver has done it, he has more than likely covered all of his legal bases and most likely has not been told to stop using the characters unlike other wrestling sim makers.
americamamushiPosted on 10/21/04 at 08:33:42

plus if Vince said anything about it Oliver would make just make Vince job to Barry Horowitz (or even worse, Ted Turner, lol) and get Pat Patterson to book RAW on TNM so he can show Vince that he's right. ;)
rey619Posted on 10/21/04 at 11:28:51

I don't really get all this legality stuff of using other people names. I don't know how many are from Europe around here, but those of you who are probably know about Soccer sims such as Championship Manager, where, as far as I know, they don't need any license to include the players in their game, because they are just names, and the game does not feature any graphics. On the other hand, the FIFA series, where you actually play soccer, need a license from FIFA, and some players have actually refused the game from including them.

Is this due to different laws in America? Or because the wrestlers have gimmick names that WWE owns?
americamamushiPosted on 10/21/04 at 16:37:47

Is this due to different laws in America? Or because the wrestlers have gimmick names that WWE owns?
I think it's due to the fact that Americans like to own everything. ;D lol  Here in America you don't just have to be carefull about their names, you have to be carefull about their likenesses too.

In Japan's Fire Pro video game series (Human's/Spike's wrestling games up to King of Colosseum which by the way I think is the best wrestling game ever) they always used close likenesses of real Japanese and American wrestlers with names and appearances changed just enough (which wasn't very much) to avoid copyrights.

While in Japan you could get away with "Axe Bomber" dressed like Hogan in the early days, with black tights and white boots, in America Vince would probably call foul (or Hogan, whoever owns the rights) because he uses a big boot, leg drop, flexes, is named after Hogan's finisher in Japan, had long bleach blond hair, is balding, and a blond handlebar mustache. (Actually, the Hogan look-alike might have been called "Axe Duggan" come to think of it, but you get the point)
rptDX316Posted on 10/22/04 at 00:38:27

That's why the GBA versions of Fire Pro changed the colours of all the US wrestlers as well as giving them fake names.  For example, The Rock had blue trunks and white hair.
Gaijin Dan MastrianiPosted on 10/27/04 at 01:04:24

Hogan was Axe Duggan. The Axe Bomber is that clothesline he uses as a finisher in Japan.

The WWE actually took legal action against BAM! Entertainment over the U.S. release of the first GBA Fire Pro game, which is why all the WWE wrestlers have wacky colors. Except for Austin, who for some reason is not disguised at all.
Oliver CoppPosted on 10/31/04 at 23:03:39

There has been no such request from WWE. My background with them and the mutual trust that exists may have helped there ;)
91Posted on 11/01/04 at 18:55:46

Background? I remember you working for WCW (I think), but the WWE? Do divulge...
Oliver CoppPosted on 11/01/04 at 20:22:58

I worked for them for 1 1/2 years. Due to the fact that Germany is WWE's second-biggest European market and you need a local mind to reach local fans, there still is regular dialogue to this day.
91Posted on 11/01/04 at 23:30:52

How about that, voice for the people.

But tell me this - earlier you were refering to you making a call on Roadkill... isn't that ECW? Did you work for THEM too?
Rick GarrardPosted on 11/02/04 at 00:46:53

And Oliver are you still associated with UFC events as well?  

Oliver's like a German Dave Meltzer in that he covers everything but instead of a newsletter, Oliver has his very own simulator.  :)  Which mean instead of bashing a talent in print, he can bury them in his game instead.  ;)

Oliver CoppPosted on 11/03/04 at 21:12:46

On 11/01/04 at 23:30:52, 91 wrote:How about that, voice for the people.

But tell me this - earlier you were refering to you making a call on Roadkill... isn't that ECW? Did you work for THEM too?
I've done commentary for WCW, ECW, SMW, AAA and Wrestling Classics and am currently head announcer for the UFCs in Germany. I never did announce for WWF/E though... never had any desire to.
Oliver CoppPosted on 11/03/04 at 21:13:39

On 11/02/04 at 00:46:53, Rick Garrard wrote:And Oliver are you still associated with UFC events as well?
Yes, I am.

The only wrestler I've ever been guilty of burying was Lex Luger ;)
91Posted on 11/03/04 at 21:21:25

On 11/03/04 at 21:12:46, Oliver Copp wrote:
I never did announce for WWF/E though... never had any desire to.
What if they offered you a ton of money?

Incidently when I first saw Wrestlemania 11 a few years ago, they introduced their German commentators making their first (and, I think, only) appearance actually at ringside and for a second, I got excited thinking one of them looked like Olly... it was not to be.

Whilst on the subject, a mate of mine downloaded the famous Bash at the Beach match where the NWO debuted and Hogan turned heel (you all know the one). Anyway, copyright laws aside (*ahem*) he showed it to me, knowing I'd never seen it, and noted he'd only been able to find it with German commentary... would that have been you by any chance?
Oliver CoppPosted on 11/03/04 at 23:41:38

On 11/03/04 at 21:21:25, 91 wrote:

What if they offered you a ton of money?

Incidently when I first saw Wrestlemania 11 a few years ago, they introduced their German commentators making their first (and, I think, only) appearance actually at ringside and for a second, I got excited thinking one of them looked like Olly... it was not to be.

Whilst on the subject, a mate of mine downloaded the famous Bash at the Beach match where the NWO debuted and Hogan turned heel (you all know the one). Anyway, copyright laws aside (*ahem*) he showed it to me, knowing I'd never seen it, and noted he'd only been able to find it with German commentary... would that have been you by any chance?
I definitely wouldn't do it... and make no mistake about it: they'd also have no reason whatsoever to throw money at me of all people.

I have done that Bash at the Beach four times over because we added a new commentary track for every re-run that aired every few months. Then again, there also have been at least three airings where I didn't announce. It only depends on when the version you have aired over here.
91Posted on 11/04/04 at 19:40:25

On 11/03/04 at 23:41:38, Oliver Copp wrote:

I definitely wouldn't do it... and make no mistake about it: they'd also have no reason whatsoever to throw money at me of all people.
Maybe that's why they fired all those guys, so they can meet your asking price (as Ted DiBiase once said, "Everybody has a Price").
rey619Posted on 11/04/04 at 21:58:03

They fired the six wrestlers because they wanted to spend the money on hiring Oliver as a commentator, knowing that he wouldn't do it for pennies. Then, Oliver will have enough money to hire a staff of competent computer designers to help him make TNM 3rd Edition, Windows Based  ;D