Alleged Screen Used Hero TOS Phaser up for auction (now the aftermath)

Herocomm will weather the storm quietly, they realize any revelations from them will do nothing to Heritage or the con artist but most certainly will further damage them as well as open them to litigation if an NDA was signed.

Expect to see this phaser quietly drop off their site some time in the future, possibly in a year or two, after people stop caring.
 
Herocomm will weather the storm quietly, perhaps but it will never look quite the same :(
 

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I have to say. This thread has been thoroughly enjoyable thus far. Being mostly a Star Wars guy and only having recently become more interested in the ST TOS community, I have learned so much from this thread, not only in general terminology, history, provenance, etc. but the fact that that events transpired such that this thread even needed to exist just blows my mind. I'm loving every dramatic tidbit of it. It's been a roller coaster for certain. Can't wait to learn more.
I know exactly what you mean, I’ve enjoyed watching the programmes but not dived into the props or history and this thread has been a very enjoyable roller coaster of a read!

It’s a shame that there are these fakes out there, seemingly for any popular franchise, and that auction houses do such a poor job (perhaps deliberately) authenticating these and that some poor buyer thinks they have an authentic part of their favourite film when they actually have something much less.
 
Herocomm will weather the storm quietly, perhaps but it will never look quite the same :(

I've lost respect for them because of how this was handled. I've said this before and in this thread that I have never cared for the secrecy of HeroComm but I respected the work they put in with screen matching the various props. I can only hope they eventually do that with this Phaser but I'm not holding my breath.
 
I would not be so quick to shame or assign motives to anyone. HeroComm was in the "fake" camp, said they were threatened with legal action, then went dead silent--but altered their site to endorse the piece. That does not exactly scream "ringing endorsement". More like "we don't want legal trouble", so we're covering our bases to avoid a lawsuit, and then pulling out of this mess".

And, presumably due to NDAs, since he has not spoken publicly, we don't know whether or not Mr. Jein actually endorsed the piece. Maybe he said "it seems reasonably close enough, but we just can't be sure", and that qualified statement was taken by HA and presented to the public as a firm authentication. A bending of the truth, so to speak.
 
I have sympathy for HC because they were presented with a Sophie's Choice. When there's a legal gun to your head, caving will seem the most practical option over fighting an expensive battle over principle. They chose loss of credibility over the poor house, and I can't blame them too much for that. But the credibility is lost nevertheless, whether it's their fault or not.

(From the safety of my easy chair I'm tempted to say I'd have either ignored the threat or replied with a simple "you have no case, nice try", but it's really easy to say that when I'm not actually faced with the situation.)
 
I have sympathy for HC because when there's a legal gun to your head, caving will seem the most practical option over fighting an expensive battle over principle. They chose loss of credibility over the poor house, and I can't blame them too much for that. But the credibility is lost nevertheless, whether it's their fault or not.

(From the safety of my easy chair I'm tempted to say I'd have either ignored the threat or replied with a simple "you have no case, nice try", but it's really easy to say that when I'm not actually in the situation.)

Exactly. If you're, say, a mere hobbyist who isn't even in the business, and are being threatened by a big corporation with money, power, and influence, then , yeah, it would be intimidating.
 
I have sympathy for HC because they were presented with a Sophie's Choice. When there's a legal gun to your head, caving will seem the most practical option over fighting an expensive battle over principle. They chose loss of credibility over the poor house, and I can't blame them too much for that. But the credibility is lost nevertheless, whether it's their fault or not.

(From the safety of my easy chair I'm tempted to say I'd have either ignored the threat or replied with a simple "you have no case, nice try", but it's really easy to say that when I'm not actually faced with the situation.)

Yep, thanks for bringing me BACK to my original opinion. I don't value a coerced endorsement.

That doesn't mean the person being coerced is irredeemable. If they can be coerced about this, then they can be coerced about other things, so yes, their reputation can never be the same again. But the opinion when NOT being in a position to be coerced could still be in the acceptable range.
 
I still do not understand the fear of litigation.

I have been in the position several times, where I welcomed the threat, knowing they had to sue me here in my home county, where I would love to present my factual, hard evidence to an impartial judge. I told them how much I looked forward to meeting them in person.

In the case of LA PROP, I submitted a CD of all the evidence I had collected, nearly 100 documents and images, and the powers that be surrendered. In that case, there was no vile intent, just a case of very clever fakers plying their trade and the house responded well. I do cringe every now and then when the fake pieces show up at smaller venues, but mostly the main auctions are still clean.
 
I have sympathy for HC because they were presented with a Sophie's Choice. When there's a legal gun to your head, caving will seem the most practical option over fighting an expensive battle over principle. They chose loss of credibility over the poor house, and I can't blame them too much for that. But the credibility is lost nevertheless, whether it's their fault or not.

(From the safety of my easy chair I'm tempted to say I'd have either ignored the threat or replied with a simple "you have no case, nice try", but it's really easy to say that when I'm not actually faced with the situation.)
That gun was as empty as the avg millennials head.
 
Let's say, in purely hypothetical terms, that one guy is saying something that a big corporation doesn't like, and which could interfere with a sale the corporation is trying to make with a third party. Even if the corporation has no real basis to sue or any strong case against that one guy, they would still have the resources to drag out legal proceedings over a lengthy period of time and drain the guy's bank account dry with lawyer fees.

So, even if the corporation had no chance of winning, they could use their resources to OUTSPEND their opponent until they settled or whatever.
 
Let's say, in purely hypothetical terms, that one guy is saying something that a big corporation doesn't like, and which could interfere with a sale the corporation is trying to make with a third party. Even if the corporation has no real basis to sue or any strong case against that one guy, they would still have the resources to drag out legal proceedings over a lengthy period of time and drain the guy's bank account dry with lawyer fees.

So, even if the corporation had no chance of winning, they could use their resources to OUTSPEND their opponent until they settled or whatever.
Defending yourself in court doesn't require an attorney or a degree, especially something as baseless as that. I've never been to college but have successfully defended myself in court (civil and criminal).
 
Defending yourself in court doesn't require an attorney or a degree, especially something as baseless as that. I've never been to college but have successfully defended myself in court (civil and criminal).


That all being said, HeroComm's identity would become public record if a suit was filed, and they clearly don't want that. There are numerous factors in this situation which would clearly give them pause.
 

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