Arcade Game Pack Counterfeiters Indicted In UltraCade Case - The Pinball Store - Automated Services
World of Pinball
The former owner of UltraCade Technologies has been indicted on
charges that he counterfeited game packs for his classic arcade game
business following its sale to Global VR, and sold them for his
personal profit.
According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, David Russell
Foley and Michael Daddona, who allegedly bought the stolen software
from Foley, were named in a 35-count indictment including charges of
conspiracy, trafficking in counterfeit goods and theft of trade
secrets, among other fraud charges.
San Jose-based UltraCade created an officially licensed classic arcade
game product line, including game packs. Foley sold the company and
its IP in 2006 to fellow San Jose company -- and one of the major
remaining arcade firms -- Global VR (Justice League Heroes United).
A version of the UltraCade classic arcade technology continues to be
sold by Global VR under the Global Arcade Classics brand, including
licensed games from Konami (Frogger), Atari (Asteroids), and many
more.
However, Foley is accused of secretly manufacturing and selling
counterfeit game packs for the system following the sale to Global VR,
in association with Daddona, after secretly retaining the technology
that allows game packs to be made.
Daddona is owner of Connecticut arcade company Automated Services, and
is accused of knowingly advertising the counterfeit packs on eBay at
lower prices than the official ones -- as well as selling them as if
they were official Global VR packs.
Gamasutra has obtained a copy of the full indictment in the case --
which also reveals that the duo were selling games not even licensed
by Global VR from companies such as Nintendo, Namco, and Taito -- and
will be following up with a more detailed story in the near future.
Gunstar Hero
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. I remember everyone in the MAME scene
hated that David Foley guy like the guys here hate a certain someone.
He reverse engineered MAME to make his overpriced Ultracade cabs, then
did everything he could to shut down MAME and the custom cab business
in general.
The PinKeeper, AZ
David Foley has most recently been involved with the development of a
VPinMAME controller for the pc called the Pinball Wizard. He's
listed as CTO and co-founder of NanoTech Entertainment, which is the
company making the Pinball Wizard controller and the MultiPin video
pinball machine.
I think he was also involved with the UltraPin project. I have been
using the Arcade MAME and VPinMAME software for alot of years and have
been on the VPForums site for a long time too and i remember his name
coming up many times.
I inquired about purchasing a Pinball Wizard controller and i was
contacted by David Foley. I ordered one and it was delayed for
various technical reasons and so i cancelled my order and decided to
wait until they got all the problems worked out. I wonder what will
happen with NanoTech Entertainment and the Pinball Wizard controller
now.
Here's a link to thier website where there is more info and some
videos on the company. http://www.nanotechent.com/
As for Michael Dadonna. I contacted him years ago when i first got
into the hobby about buying some NIB Stern pins, but i did'nt like the
way he sounded and our conversation and so i passed him by and then
called Jack at PinballSales.com and i've never looked back. Jack is
the only guy i'll deal with on NIB Stern pins for many reasons.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this news story continues...
John
The PinKeeper, AZ
running on the front page, you'll see David Foley playing a UltraPin
machine converted into a MultiPin machine. It has the UltraPin
cabinet and controls but it looks like it has the MultiPin backglass
and tables added.
Is the NanoTech MultiPin just a converted UltraPin ? If so, is
GlobalVR involved or did they sell the UltraPin rights to NanoTech ?
Considering the illegal manufacturing and selling of Ultracade game
packs, is there any illegal activity being done with the UltraPin ?