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Storage Wars Texas: Proof that now even arcade OPERATORS are stupid.

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Well Fed Games:
Thanks for the link... having watched it now, I have to say, the sudden edit from (questionably legal) 60-in-1 board startup screen to "look, its a working Ms. Pac Machine" is pretty hilarious. If Storage Wars: Texas is a lie, how can I ever trust Dog the Bounty Hunter again?


--- Quote from: 404 on January 11, 2012, 08:41:32 pm ---The full episode is available for viewing on the web.
http://www.aetv.com/storage-wars-texas/video/?bcpid=1283323412001&%20bclid=1311494549001&bctid=1381104125001

The clips begin at the 6:00 minute mark and 13:00 minute mark.

Here is a pic of the XX-in-1 pirate arcade board in action.



--- End quote ---

Xiaou2:
 Some people are so blinded by anger and rage, and so busy listening to the voices in their own heads... that they are making up crap that does not even exist.

 Not once did I hear the so called Appraiser say that the machine was a dedicated Ms Pacman.
He appraised the value he believe that the machine, "As Is", could be sold.  Legally, or Illegally is irrelevant.  It still holds a value.

 Obviously, they were not going to go through the wink-wink conversations about how you Shouldnt legally sell it...

 But besides this, I find it hard to believe theres anything a person could be angered about it this video.  I find it mind numbingly stupid, and somewhat funny, if anything.
 There are things worth getting crazy over... but this certainly isnt one of those things.


 Btw - Im surprised that anyone would believe and eat this stuff up like it was actually real.  Anyone who runs an arcade, even casually, would know about x-in-one & bootleg boards.  Especially if they are Opps.

 Most gamers knew about bootlegs when they were like 10yrs old, back in the arcades themselves.  SFII hacks Galore... let alone all the over hacks out there.  But for real... anyone working with arcade machines... especially old machines, knows that with a room of +20 machines... at least One machine is having a problem... if not several machines.  In my mall location, we had 42 games.  I had anywhere from 1 to 3 games go down in a single week.   Any many more needing various things such as mech adjustments, new microswitches, resets, coin jams, bad power supplies, broken wires, loose assemblies, broken controllers, new PCB kits installed... and much more.  The games were opened and fixed All the time.

 Ops are far from dimwitted.  Most of them have extreme technical ability, far beyond that of my own.  As they have to fix things constantly, for years and years.   I was only an arcade manager, because Namco had remote techs that you would call for complex stuff.  If something was wrong with a board, you shipped the board out to be fixed.  Even then, it was a bear of a job, in pure mechanical problems.

 I never would have lasted as a full Op.  My diagnostic and electrical skills were not quite good enough.
While many ops are not good on their upkeep... they can fix things amazingly well, if they ever get around to it.

Howard_Casto:
I guess we were seeing different episdoes then.  There were various shady cuts to get around the fact that they were appraising a BOOTLEG MACHINE but it was quite clear by the buyer's reactions that the "expert" had given him the impression that it was indeed a pac-man and a legitimate one at that.  Also all of the other info the guy gave was totally off, right down to the price. 


Really?  Illegality is irrelevant?  It's on frikkin tv man!  If they sell it they are busted!  Other tv shows have no problems refusing illegal material.  The pawn stars, for example, take great care not to buy newer guns or federal bills or anything that can be considered illegal.  I have never once seen on of their episodes and thought "that's overpriced" or "that guy didn't know what he was talking about".  They have had more than a few arcade and coin-op machines on that show as well.

Illegality is EXTREMELY RELEVANT  because trying to sell it would be ILLEGAL!!

Well apparently not this guy.... he's dumb as hell! 

And I have a real problem with the attitude man.  There are people that simply pretend that every single thing on a show is staged and fake because it is a reality show.  This just isn't true.  It very much depends upon the show. 

The shows on the history channel, for example are very accurate, their experts actually know their stuff and they are very respectful of the law and price things at the actual market value.  I don't take offense to reality television for this incident, I take offense from SWT and the idiot that arranged for the buyer to use this guy as an expert appraiser. 

404:

--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on January 12, 2012, 12:39:28 am --- Some people are so blinded by anger and rage, and so busy listening to the voices in their own heads... that they are making up crap that does not even exist.
--- End quote ---

Anyone that has a love for a certain hobby is going to be irritated when they hear and see things like this. You're not the arbiter of every arcade fan's emotions.


--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on January 12, 2012, 12:39:28 am --- Not once did I hear the so called Appraiser say that the machine was a dedicated Ms Pacman.
He appraised the value he believe that the machine, "As Is", could be sold.  Legally, or Illegally is irrelevant.  It still holds a value.
--- End quote ---


--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on January 12, 2012, 12:39:28 am ---I distinctly remember the "appraiser" being asked whether this was a miss pacman. The "appraiser" responds by saying "miss pacman" In casual conversations in the English language, that's a sign of affirming someone's question.
--- End quote ---

No. But what they could have said is that the unit is a reproduction.


--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on January 12, 2012, 12:39:28 am ---Obviously, they were not going to go through the wink-wink conversations about how you Shouldnt legally sell it...
--- End quote ---


--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on January 12, 2012, 12:39:28 am ---But besides this, I find it hard to believe theres anything a person could be angered about it this video.  I find it mind numbingly stupid, and somewhat funny, if anything.
 There are things worth getting crazy over... but this certainly isnt one of those things.

--- End quote ---

You should probably re-watch the video. MANY items in this very episode were were checked for authenticity against reproductions. The knights armor was a reproduction and they stated how they knew. The appraiser of the armor went into very specific details about the armor, sword and helmet. He even went into detail as to why these items would not even be suitable for mock battles. The Davy Crocket memorabilia was also checked and the appraiser publicly stated whey he thinks the items are original. It is only the arcade machine that was never mentioned as a reproduction. Had the knight armor been authentic or the arcade had been an original ms pacman, these items would be quite the game changer..

I omitted the rest of your quotes for obvious reasons. It really has nothing to do with this thread nor are you the one man arbiter of how everyone is supposed to feel about a television segment. Everyone is going to have a different feeling about this; Be a little more adult enough to understand that.

Le Chuck:
The following is taken from a NAW legal advisory.  The onus is on the seller to determine whether or not his item is legit, if it is not legit then he shouldn't sell.  The fines listed below are for whole sellers but the definition of trafficing I would say clearly fits the bill of what is going on here.  Private possession in certain circumstances is allowed.  I don't think that A&E would want to be associated with a potential violation of federal law but the cuts do make it seem as though the producers don't have an issue with it.    

The federal criminal laws that prohibit any person from trafficking in counterfeit goods and services apply not only to the counterfeiter—the law applies with equal force to any individual or company that knowingly sells a counterfeit product. (18 U.S.C. 2320). This law, known as the Trademark Counterfeiting Act of 1984, carries substantial monetary fines (up to $5 million) and prison time (up to 20 years imprisonment or in some cases life) for individuals and companies who violate the Act.

The Act makes it illegal for any person to intentionally traffic, or attempt to traffic, in goods or services and knowingly use a counterfeit trademark on or in connection (such as product labeling and packaging) with those goods or services. The term “traffic” is broadly defined to include the sale of a product that bears a counterfeit trademark. Traffic also means transporting, transferring or otherwise disposing of a product for money or anything of value.

A counterfeit trademark means a spurious mark or designation (e.g., packaging, labeling) that is identical with, or substantially indistinguishable from, a trademark which is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and is used on goods without the consent of the trademark owner. A counterfeit certification mark is considered a counterfeit trademark. Criminal liability requires that the seller had actual knowledge, or constructive knowledge (reasonably should have known under the circumstances), that the product or its labeling or packaging contained a counterfeit trademark.

So a wholesaler-distributor who knowingly sells counterfeit products has a lot to lose under the federal law:

Imprisonment – Up to 10 years for the first offense and up to 20 years for a repeat offender. An offender who knowingly or recklessly causes death as a result of an unlawful sale faces up to life in prison.
Fines – Up to $15.0 million for corporations and $5.0 million for individuals who are repeat offenders.
Seizure and destruction of the counterfeit products in the wholesaler-distributor’s possession.
Civil lawsuits by the trademark owner under the federal trademark law for the recovery of damages, lost profits, attorneys’ fees and injunctive relief.

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