Selling intellectual property and licening it back - good idea?

[Roter Baron]

I sense evil here, folks. EVIL!

I mean it. Okay, I am not a business-person but if a friend would tell you that he sold his house and rented it back, would you say: "Great idea! Smart move!" or would you doubt the wisdom in this decision.

I am not the one here to tell anybody how to run the business, but if you sel something and "rent" it back - well, the new owner could decide that after some time he is giving the "rented thing" to somebody else. Or to keep it for himself. Or to demolish it.

And he would not do it if there wasn't a rofit to be gained.

So, is there a plan to increase the price of Hero products becaus eof this selling/ licening back-deal?

Is there the "chance" (danger) that Cryptic Studios is going to shut-down the line by not renewing the license?

How long is the contract for that license?

Just some questions. As I said: No businessman speaking here. Just a fan who is not to thrilled about the idea as a whole.

Any comments?

[Steve Long]

Let's just bring a halt to all this speculation right now.

With all due respect, we have all the information. You folx have very little of it. We're convinced that it's a good deal and that we've protected ourselves through the terms of the contract.

If we didn't think all of this was ultimately to the greater benefit not only of DOJ, but our fans and our game, we wouldn't've done it. Nobody's perfect, and no one knows what the future may bring, but I think this heralds a bright new opportunity for the HERO System, and we intend to do whatever we reasonably can to make the most of it.

[archermoo]

I sense evil here, folks. EVIL!

I mean it. Okay, I am not a business-person but if a friend would tell you that he sold his house and rented it back, would you say: "Great idea! Smart move!" or would you doubt the wisdom in this decision.

I am not the one here to tell anybody how to run the business, but if you sel something and "rent" it back - well, the new owner could decide that after some time he is giving the "rented thing" to somebody else. Or to keep it for himself. Or to demolish it.

And he would not do it if there wasn't a rofit to be gained.

So, is there a plan to increase the price of Hero products becaus eof this selling/ licening back-deal?

Is there the "chance" (danger) that Cryptic Studios is going to shut-down the line by not renewing the license?

How long is the contract for that license?

Just some questions. As I said: No businessman speaking here. Just a fan who is not to thrilled about the idea as a whole.

Any comments?

My understanding from the announcement and talking to Darren and Steve:

DoJ has been granted a license in perpetuity to print RPG books using Champions and Dark Champions. They mentioned that there was a way that Cryptic could buy them out of that license, and that it involved "flipping great wads of cash". :)

DoJ got quite a few bonuses out of the deal, so I don't know that they'll need to charge extra for the books. They got paid some presumably fairly large sum of money for the deal to begin with. They also now get access to Cryptic's art for their Champions stuff. And so on.

EDIT: Or what Steve said. :)