Ideas to mobilize the group

[Lukaz]

I believe it would be in our best interest to mobilize the group with actionable tasks that put pressure on all the parties involved with this campaign. This does not preclude us from retaining further legal representation, but will allow as to use the strength of the group to act fast at a critical time.

Some initial thought:

• Pressure the media outlets that promoted this product and company to follow up on their reports.
• Pressure Indiegogo into issuing an oficial statement.
• Pressure all appropriate agencies to look into this case.

[Lukaz]

+ .Pressure the licensee into issuing an oficial statement.

[Philippe van Nedervelde]

Good ideas. So let's. If mandated by present group, as I have a good number of connections in the US tech media, I offer to run point on reaching out to media outlets that covered and/or promoted this product and company.

So what are the names of those media outlets? Names of editors/journalists who wrote any articles? Links to key articles or other media content that promoted and/or covered this product and company? Has anyone here cobbled together a (partial) collection of these that they could share here?

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[sundancejedi]

I have reached out to Slashfilm, The Verge and Warner Brothers. None have interest in this.

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[Philippe van Nedervelde]

Could you please share details here re each of those contacts you mentioned, SundanceJedi? Who at WB etc. did you reach? What exactly did they tell you, if anything?

Quid re WIRED, Engadget, OMICON-related media?

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[Philippe van Nedervelde]

Also re media: what media outlets and/or journalists/editors/influential pundits have been covering crowdfunding scandals like this one the most? 

[Lukaz]

This is the point: None of them will reply to us as individuals, given it is on their best interest to keep this issue quiet. They will only engage if they are pressured to do so. And given it's unlikely that we will be able to secure any legal arm, our best path is to use social pressure.

[sundancejedi]

I reached out to Warner Brothers Consumer Product use via their email. They are the division responsible for licensing ip for third parties. I received no response. Same for the two blogs I mentioned that had articles about HAL 9000 project. No one cares. We're small beans.

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[Philippe van Nedervelde]

Agreed. So we need to get our act together to mandate one or more people here to represent the entire group to third parties so that they do not get brushed of as being just a single individual. I am not a lawyer, but what document can we provide this person to give them a mandate to represent us to third parties? Does this require a letter listing all of our names? With signatures?

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[Lukaz]

That's not how it works, EACH of us has to contacte them individually and systematically, that is the only number they care.

[Philippe van Nedervelde]

Glad I asked. That is because you only knocked on their front doors. And maybe also because you acted as a single individual, not representing a larger group such as present one.

As I mentioned earlier, we need to pool our connection networks and LinkedIn to find side-doors, backdoors, informal etc. was to directly reach decision-makers within these organizations.

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[Philippe van Nedervelde]

Lukaz, given that you seem to know the most about how 'this' works, how about providing all of us here with template texts and email addresses to send personalized versions of your template texts to well-targeted persons/organizations and thereby create collective pressure? Please lead the way? Take the lead and show us / tell us what to do to make such a concerted action happen?  What do you need from us except for our cooperation? 

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[Lukaz]

I will try to compile a list, it's all on Google but takes free time. Unfortunately 'us' have to be more than four 'us', we need to be a hundred 'us', so they cannot hide 'us' under the rug.

[Richard Harris]

As I wrote the media will not cover a story on undelivered product by a collectibles company via a public fundraiser. BUT they will most likely cover a story if it leads to some kind of law enforcement investigation and FTC law changes. This would be a matter of educating the FTC and using this failed campaign to educate them and made suggestions. Hal 9000 is well known to film fans so there is some intrinsic content that might appeal to Wired etc.

A group of diehard science fiction fans and 2001: A Space Odyssey take it upon themselves to alter the way public fund raisers on the Internet are run.

The same as it was with consumers lobbying the FTC to investigate cell phone throttling etc. Which was covered in the mainstream press. 

The goal should be to use the Hal 9000 debacle to lead to positive change in the way public fundraisers on the Internet are approved, launched and managed and by whom. And in tandem, seek to protect the 650K that was already invested in the Hal 9000 project. Even a portion of those funds may have been used to create the masters for the product. The factory in China must be located and communicated with. Why are they also not listed in the bankruptcy if they were owed money?

[Richard Harris]

Every email or letter counts and will help. But there is also strength in numbers. As I wrote there are already over 72 members here and that is considerable. How many more will be joining soon as they learn about the bankruptcy filing? A letter on behalf of this group will put any entity on notice.

If Master Replicas Group and Steve Dymszo truly cared about the Hal 9000 customers? they would have included all Indiego customers in the bankruptcy filing and sent each customers a bankruptcy notification. They didn't do so because they are dishonest. They want to discharge the 650K Indiego debt in the bankruptcy filing. Basically flush it down the toilet. Dymszo knows this. He is probably going to try and have all debt discharged in the bankruptcy and then magically be reinstated as the CEO of Master Replicas Group and try and sell himself as a hero. And then reapproach and ask all Hal 9000 customers for more money. And most likely file for bankruptcy a 2nd time. That is how it goes down much of the time.

The writing is on the wall.

On Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 3:05:33 PM UTC-7 Lukaz wrote:

[Lukaz]

I already stated my thoughts regarding the hope of legal representation several times. My believe is that unless we can get + hundred members to commit to send systematic emails to all the parties involved, the story will be gone. In any event, I will support the group with all I can.