Questions to Tim Langdell that are unanswered
Some of the unanswered questions made directly to Tim Langdell in the "Call for the removal of Tim Langdell" thread are copied below. Not one of these questions have had any valid answer posted by Tim Langdell. Since Tim Langdell is a member of the IGDA then I think it is important that the member answer questions about his various public claims when they relate to games development and the industry, especially when there is evidence to the contrary of those claims:
When EDGE lost the law suit in the UK for failure to pay EDGE's developers did you then make payment? If yes, do you have proof?
The owner of the IP 'Teenage Wasteland' denies any dealing with you or Edge games; you claim you have paperwork which clearly defines a relationship between yourself and the IP owner; which is true? Are you able to publish details if you do have the paperwork?
What exactly is your role in the development/production/publishing of 'Racers'? What is its release date? Who else is currently working on it?
When did production of 'Mirrors (by) EDGE' begin?
How did Edge "spawn" EDGE magazine?
What connection does EDGE have with the EDGE comic?
Why was the evidence you provided altered from the actual original comic cover?
How did it infringe upon your copyright?
What connection does EDGE have with the film 'the Edge'?
How did it infringe upon your copyright?
According to your site, EDGE has a 'number' of film/game crossover projects in development (besides the two advertised on your site); what are they?
The EDGE magazine cover you provided as evidence does not match the original EDGE magazine cover, why was the evidence you provided completely different to the real cover?
Why did you register EDGY when the email specifically asks you not to register EDGY?
Can you publish some of the many letters/emails you received informing you of Mobigame's infringement?
You've previously stated that you came to hear of Mobigame's game EDGE through many letters, however you've also stated that an employee at Apple was the first to inform you; which of these statements is correct?
Why did you contact an IGDA member's employer while using the authority of the IGDA board?
Where Are your games available for purchase currently, recently, eventually?
What are your top 10 best selling games in the last 15 years?
Why do you suggest your classic titles are due for release to WiiWare when all the other classic games are available through the virtual console? Do you have permission to use the WiiWare logo in either case?
What is your staff headcount?
Do you currently have development licenses and kits for all the platforms you claim on your website?
If you do not have any staff currently working on games, who are your partners currently creating the games you are currently working on?
You say you've never asked for money for your trademark, yet you've licensed this trademark to 20th Century Fox, Marvel, etc. Were you remunerated for those?
When an IGDA member (Langdell) publicly makes lots of unsubstantiated claims on this site and forum that directly affects other members I think this is precisely the correct forum to ask questions about those claims.
Otherwise you're giving free rein to anyone to make all sorts of claims on this forum where they never have to provide substantive evidence or valid answers.
Moderators Note:
This is a valid thread. It is a set of questions directed to a specific member and we can all wait here until such time as Tim Langdell comes in to answer the questions.
Martin, an occasional "bump" is fine, but let's not go overboard here.
Originally posted by Martin Piper
When an IGDA member (Langdell) publicly makes lots of unsubstantiated claims [b]on this site and forum that directly affects other members I think this is precisely the correct forum to ask questions about those claims.. [/B]
I also don't think this is an acceptable forum for this discussion any more now that Langdell resigned from the Board. You know Martin that Langdell did not "publicly make lots of unsubstantiated claims on this site and forum" -- anyone who checks back (as I did) sees that it was you and a few others like Brian who made all the claims of the kind you have in your list of "unanswered questions." Langdell himself never made any of those claims. So demanding he answer them is a very inappropriate use of these forums and clearly an attempt by you to keep this topic alive here far beyond its appropriateness for these forums.
As far as I can see all your questions were answered either by others on other blogs/forums, or by Edge Games in their public statement. So it seems redundant to keep asking the same already answered questions here over and again.
I don't personally know if Langdell really contacted an IGDA member's employee or whether this is just another thing made up to make the guy look bad, but I have seen two copies of the email he has meant to have sent copied onto several other forums. One (the one that looks more genuine) has his signature clearly as CEO of Edge Games with a totally separate bio line mentioning he is also on the Board of the IGDA, and the other (the copy people report you sent to the board members) which deletes the space between the signature area and bio lines and makes it look like Langdell wrote the email using his authority as a board member when he didn't.
Either way, this topic has been beaten to death. Let's move on and find more constructive things to discuss.
Like how to make sock puppet accounts?
Originally posted by RickThomas
Either way, this topic has been beaten to death. Let's move on and find more constructive things to discuss.
I'm sure you'd very much like to hide your dodgy history by "moving on", Timmy... but there are still plenty of questions to answer and plenty of people who are intent on making sure no other indie developers get ripped off by you.
Originally posted by RickThomas
I don't personally know if Langdell really contacted an IGDA member's employee or whether this is just another thing made up to make the guy look bad,
I would like to see further statements about Tim Langdell restricted to the findings of courts of law. The court of opinion was sufficient for attempting to remove Tim Langdell from the Board. The membership is entitled to choose its Board representation based on any perception surrounding the Board member, true or false. I say, now that Tim Langdell is merely a rank-and-file member of the IGDA, the standard of evidence must be higher and the right of privacy greater.
I do, however, think the IGDA should create a formal Ethics Committee and take investigation and enforcement actions. Both in cases of members' actions as professional game developers, i.e. "conduct unbecoming," and cases of members hounding other members in forums. Anyone who makes career-ruining accusations at another member should be subjected to heavy burdens of proof.
Originally posted by RickThomas
...
Forum moderators, this account is another new account that has been created to comment on a Tim Langdell thread. As I was saying in the other thread http://www.igda.org/Forums/showthread.php?threadid=35923&perpage=15&highlight=&pagenumber=100 when these new accounts appear the majority opinion of those posting about the new accounts is that it is Tim Langdell using sock puppet accounts. Forum moderators might find it useful to investigate the use of these newly created accounts.
Now Tim ("Rick") to reply to you, the questions posted here have not been given valid answers by you because any answers you might have given in the past have been proven to be wrong by the preponderance of evidence against your claims. As such you have not given valid answers to these questions, hence why I am posting these questions. These questions have been asked by multiple posters in the other thread. Nothing needed to be "made up" either, all the evidence of your unsubstantiated claims is mentioned in the thread I have just linked above.
Now Tim, onto the email you mention, normally I wouldn't have commented but because you brought up the subject I should reply to correct your claims in your reply. I contacted the IGDA board directly when I learned of the email you sent where you abused your previous position as an IGDA board member to exert pressure on another member's employer. The email evidence was then forwarded to the board. It is after this direct contact with different board members that I learned you were being forced off the board because of your actions, you were given one last chance to "resign" before being removed.
So Tim, instead of creating new accounts post here with your EDGE account as you have done in the past. That way you can give answers here on this forum with your correct identity and then others can then provide the evidence to refute your claims, this would be valid debate, as opposed to creating new accounts.
Actually you're wrong. I once met a Rick Thomas - and that chap was actually a very real person (That said - why a barman would be posting here, i dont know).
He once gave me a free beer so I offered him a job in my company (which i'm sure you've all heard of, as we've been making video games since the 40s).
So there.
Mr Hedgehog (tm)
Hedge Games (TM)
Originally posted by Martin Piper
sock puppet accounts.
Indeed, is it ethical? I've tried to substantiate an independent internet existence for sebastianj and RickThomas accounts. I've been unable to. I find it odd that a non-member's maiden voyage in the IGDA forums would be regarding the Tim Langdell matter, as developers generally have other concerns and 33 fora to choose from. It's not impossible but it raises great suspicion.
It is after this direct contact with different board members that I learned you were being forced off the board because of your actions, you were given one last chance to "resign" before being removed.
Ah. I had been inclined to take Tim Langdell's resignation statement at face value, that he knew the 50% quorum would never be reached, that the controversy would continue, and thus he resigned to end the controversy. I asked if you had some "insider information" to the contrary, and now I see that you did. It raises more ethical questions. Is giving Tim Langdell the chance to "quietly move on" the right remedy for the IGDA? Is the narrow matter of contacting Brian Beuken's employer, enough to warrant Tim Langdell's expulsion, just by itself?
Originally posted by vanevery0
Is giving Tim Langdell the chance to "quietly move on" the right remedy for the IGDA?
This is the usual way to boot anyone out of an organisation; silently. If it's a high-profile person, you let that person make a statement about how they're leaving in order to pursue some exciting opportunities or in order to spend more time with their family, but the organisation says nothing. This way, the organisation is safe from prosecution under libel laws, and everyone who matters understands what happened anyway.
Is the narrow matter of contacting Brian Beuken's employer, enough to warrant Tim Langdell's expulsion, just by itself?
I would say 'yes', but only because in that e-mail (assuming that the copy which was posted in the forums was accurate), Mr. Langdell identified himself as a director of the IGDA, which implied that the IGDA sanctioned the legal threat.
Intentionally pulling your employer into your personal legal affairs is a sack-worthy offence virtually anywhere. If he had not mentioned that he was a director of the IGDA, then he'd just be a jerk for trying to intimidate a critic by bad-mouthing him to his employer. With the IGDA attribution, he began causing legal liability for the Association, and they really had no choice but to expel him in order to distance themselves from that action.
(I'm one of those who felt that Mr. Langdell ought to have been removed from his position much earlier on, based upon his continued actions against the interests of the industry at large. But when one of your employees takes unethical actions to benefit himself personally, and implies that he's doing it with your company's approval, then you really have no option but to fire that employee, to protect the company -- regardless of whether or not you happen to like that employee's other activities.)
Well guys, it seem Tim will most likely have to answer those questions in court. EA is fighting Tim.
http://kotaku.com/5370359/electronic-arts-sues-to-cancel-langdells-trademarks
Yeah. I saw that. I'm really looking forward to the result from this. I'm not usually a huge fan of EA, but this is a good thing. They do of course have some interest in getting the cancellation through, but it will be of great help to the people dragged down by this.
Hopefully we can let real developers have some peace and quiet without these childish legal threats...
I strongly disagree that this is still an appropriate forum for any of this.