Amiga INC value

[pmc]

@ AlexH - interesting points man, very interesting. Summarised, basically take the name Amiga, whack it on a PC and make millions.

Put like that, so easy to do, even easier if Amiga Inc just license the use of the name rather than make the machines themselves - I wonder why it's not been done yet?

[TCD]

Google isn't very helpful. Hope someone else can remember, because these are the guys we need to blackm... ask politely about releasing the old KS/WB to the public.

@pmc
They tried it with 'Commodore' several times. Not heard about them? I wonder why...

[pmc]

@TCD - yeah, I know that there's Commodore gaming PC's around but I don't know how well (or not...?) they sell due to being associated with the Commodore name.

That's kind of what I was getting at - while it sounds perfect, is it really and does it work more than short term? A brands image changes from its old associations and connotations to new ones quickly.

My bet? Within two years the new reputation of Amiga would be - oh, yeah, they're just badged PCs now. How long would that really separate them from the crowd? I'm still not convinced therefore that it's worth millions.

But I also meant what I said that it is an interesting point and at the end of the day I really don't know if it's worth money or not - anyone got the sales data for those Commodore gaming machines so I can make a more qualified judgement?

[DDNI]

So, as suspected no one can fully own a girlfriend....

[pmc]

Originally Posted by AlexH

Your thinking is too narrow minded.

Maybe, maybe not.

How about this as a scenario:

Imagine that Amiga Inc invented the i-Phone. They've then got a computer type gadget that comes with "Amiga-ness" - ie. it's an order of magnitude better in design and useability than the existing technology and also allows for end user participation and creativity (ie. the start of a community) in the form of apps that anyone can aquire the SDK for to make and sell their own software.

This is what I meant when I said "Amiga feel" and that the marriage of the name and gadget would have to be exactly right.

Useability and desirability would be high and the existing reputation of a once loved brand would then continue with the ethos that made it great in the first place whilst also giving longer term earnings potential.

Result? The Amiga brand *would be* worth millions again.

[NovaCoder]

Originally Posted by pmc

Result? The Amiga brand *would be* worth millions again.

I think it would take many years of success to undo all of the damage

[alexh]

Originally Posted by NovaCoder

I think it would take many years of success to undo all of the damage

To become a company worth 10's or 100's of millions, sure. To make a quick buck selling the brand to a chinese company for a few million in stock, still possible today.

[Fred the Fop]

Originally Posted by killergorilla

£6 minus VAT.

That's not true. It's listed as 3 dollars on the Bowelmovement Board, and that comes out to £2 summin.

[Fred the Fop]

Originally Posted by Boom^

I would think the name "Amiga" must be worth something still. It was a household name in the 90s and people I speak to about Amigas (who were just general users, not big fans like us) will always say "oh yeah i used to have an Amiga!" and they would always be positive about it. No one I have ever spoken to about amigas have ever said "Oh yeah i had one of those, they were a bit shit" so what im saying is. The name Amiga has a very positive background to it. Plus its a good name meaning Female Friend in spanish

So a product called Amiga whatever it may be should sell well.

In America the Amiga was nothing. And I mean nothing. Funny, since it was American.

[pmc]

Originally Posted by Fred the Fop

That's not true. It's listed as 3 dollars on the Bowelmovement Board, and that comes out to £2 summin.

ROFL. Superb.

[Predabot]

Originally Posted by TheCyberDruid

For example? What 'we' do with the name and copyrights then? Except for making KS and WB freely available of course Would 'we' make Jens design a new 'Amiga' and have some people code a cool new OS and software? Would 'we' make a electronic gadget to get started?

Well, I'm not quite sure. But ideally the community would scrape together every single one of the minimig/NatAmi designers, top-modders, emu-writers and so on, and so on - And indeed try to design a new console.

A portable handheld preferrably. Something like the Pandora, really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora_%28console%29

Logically it would use a version of AROS as the O.S, with a highly developed internal layer of 68k emulation. And include an HDMI-port of course.

[Pyromania]

Does the value of AI go up or down if McBill is hooking on the corner to raise another round of funding?

[eLowar]

I'm not generally one to post YouTube links, but I was just watching the new Simpsons episode (season 21, episode 1, aired yesterday), and there was this scene: [ Show youtube player ]

Originally Posted by Krusty

And there's more, but my fax machine ran out of ink, so I can't read it. You know where you can buy ink for an Amiga brand fax machine?

Now admittedly this is a small sample, but it's somewhat of an indicator how the Amiga brand is seen these days: Obsolete. No comment on the "fax machine" thing.

[pmc]

Originally Posted by eLowar

Now admittedly this is a small sample, but it's somewhat of an indicator how the Amiga brand is seen these days: Obsolete.

Exactly. The truth delivered with typical Simpsons satirical bite. Like I said previously - net worth of the Amiga brand today = ZERO

[Zetr0]

to be honest, I seriously doubt they actauly own anything except maybe a handfull of limmited licenses

most of the stuff we would be interested in (Kickstarts / Workbench code) is still owned be Gateway..

If they actually owned something of worth then they would be able to do somthing about it... personally what they claim to own in IP must surely have a back door deal with gateway that financially prohibits them from as been said.... slapping the brand name on a el-cheapo chinese mp5 player dongle.

Mind you there was that abortion, called the Gravis, or gravel or somthing.... did that ever get mass production?
heres a linkie to a press release

[Pyromania]

$0

[Photon]

If I read the original news release correctly, Amiga Inc only got the domain names and patents stayed with Gateway, at least at the time.

$500 per domain, no sweat, likely they'd get much more on any auction. Either way, (part of the) patents got transferred away from Amiga, Inc, correct?

[Amigaman]

A few things have come up in this thread that actually make sense.

Since the original designers really were just a bunch of guys, whast to stop a coalition getting together and building a new machine?

We already have the expertise in the community that still exists, Jens, the Netami guys, coders, designers, Minimig guy, etc.

Maybe we should try to get people together seriously to discuss potential for pooling resources and trying to build something with the ethos, look, feel and usablity of the Amiga, but avoiding all the hassle of copyrights and IP?

On the other hand, if you are going to slap the Amiga brand on something, how about the IPAD, this seems to be the fad gadget at the moment!

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Amigaman

Since the original designers really were just a bunch of guys, whast to stop a coalition getting together and building a new machine?

Dude, we live in the year 2010, not the beginning of the 80's anymore.

Originally Posted by Amigaman

We already have the expertise in the community that still exists, Jens, the Netami guys, coders, designers, Minimig guy, etc.

Maybe we should try to get people together seriously to discuss potential for pooling resources and trying to build something with the ethos, look, feel and usablity of the Amiga, but avoiding all the hassle of copyrights and IP?

Contra idea : Let's make at least food and living free first. On second thought, even for money that idea wouldn't work. Maybe for big money, but then again read above...
Oh and I'm being serious here. Really.

[Paul_s]

Originally Posted by Amigaman

On the other hand, if you are going to slap the Amiga brand on something, how about the IPAD, this seems to be the fad gadget at the moment!

for the love of god, you must be joking! That lump of junk belongs in the trash - old idea + Apple marketing = population craze. Same old Apple.

As for your first idea, nice thought but in reality those times are long gone. You would need a vision which would exceed those of today's Macs (ugh), PC's and what not. A new way of thinking would be required...

Amiga Inc. value = UK deficit.