The UP's tyrrany extends to other areas as well....

[Demon09]

I found this on a gamer's website just a minute ago....


"Union Pacific rails against Microsoft game


Microsoft's upcoming Train Simulator won't have any Union Pacific cars in it, and the railroad giant wants to make sure it stays that way.
By David Becker, GameSpot
Posted May 11, 2001 5:55 pm PT


John Bromley, public affairs director for Union Pacific Railroad, touched off a vigorous flame war this week on the Trainorders.com railroad enthusiasts site by posting a warning against fans distributing any content for the game that uses Union Pacific's name or logo. Bromley said the company would "pursue all our options" to prevent such trademark infringement.

Bromley also noted that Microsoft approached him earlier for help in developing the PC game, set for release June 8, which lets players control a simulated locomotive. He denied Microsoft's request to videotape scenes inside Union Pacific locomotives, partly out of safety concerns.

"I told them I had some concern about putting something out to the public with details of how to operate a locomotive, and that's still true," Bromley said in an interview. "We've had problems with vandals getting on our locomotives and trying them out.

"I know there are a lot of plane simulators out there, but the Navy doesn't leave F-16s sitting out there in remote areas."

Bromley's posted comments sparked a string of harsh reactions on Trainorders and other railroad sites, with numerous posters vowing to skirt the company's objections by creating cars with an "Onion Pacific" logo.

"Does this mean that the UP Gestapo will break into houses and destroy some guy's model layout of Donner Pass?" wrote one Trainorders poster.

Bromley said he was just trying to do his job. 'I never had a reaction like this to anything before," he said. "I think I know rail fans pretty well, but video game people are new to me. They're something else.'"


So although they have strict licensing fees for our hobby, they won't even let rail sim fans use their equipment logos.............

[Anonymous]

They are actually using ONION PACIFIC!

[(-D][:D]

Time to cook the Onions.

[dinner]

Andrew Falconer

[Anonymous]

UP is a loose cannon of a monolith that cares absolutely nothing about the general public, including its most staunch fans. I vowed some time ago to never again buy any product that is in any way related to, or promotes, UPee--trains, calendars, coffee mugs, etc.

I'm also n big fan of the toy and model train manufacturers who have caved in to UPee and their unreasonable licensing demands, but am glad to see that at least some of them are passing those costs onto their customers. My hope is that a good many hobby manufacturers will ultimately drop virtually all of their attention to UP and focus instead on other roads, past and present, that are more public spirited. After all, out of sight, out of mind, and eventually even devoted UPee hobbyists will find themselves faced with a shortage of items in that livery and turn their attention to modeling more readily available (and congenial) roads. These days, I won't even buy an issue of a toy train or model railroading magazine that pictures UP items on the cover, even though I know the content of the publication may be of interest to me. Fortunately, most of the hobby magazines tend to ignore UPee in selecting their cover images since they realize it will simply open them up to costly legal action at some point.

Folks who like UPee can certainly do as they please, but I'll never give that railroad any more of my support until such time as they wake up and again become the great railroad that they once were.

[thor]

I agree with Allan.

[Anonymous]

Will the UP go after the LCCA, their convention car this year is a Union Pacific generator boxcar. Very nice looking, has the UP shield, is that a no-no.

[Bob Keller]

Not exactly hot off the press news ...

[Anonymous]

I bet if Microsoft ponied up a licensing fee to UP for their train simulator software program, there would not be any concern over anybody trying to break into their frieght yards in an attempt to run one of their engines.

UP has created a public relations nightmare with their "brand licensing" program.
I'm also with Allan on this subject. Several years ago I bought a MTH UP 3 piece diesel set and several UP cars and a caboose. I even bought a UP hat, coffee mug and a few other small UP branded items.

They will be the last UP branded products that I buy.

Steve Tapper
Northern Central High Railers

[Demon09]

Bob, I realize this is old news, I just found it interesting that even a few years back they were so up-in-arms about their logo, and still are just as animated about it today. And the idea that they not only denied Microsoft the ability to use the logo, they went to a forum and made a pre-emptive threat to anyone else who uses the logo seems ridiculous.

I also thought it was interesting to point out that the litigation and incidents with UP licensing are not just limited to our hobby.