News briefs . .. News briefs . .. News briefs . . . News briefs . ..
. . . .. ..... Officers of Seeburg/Stern gave a congress i o n al appearance to advocate
defeat of leg i slation (H.R. 1 805) that would substant i ally increase the copy-
right royalties paid by jukebox operators. Appearing before the U.S. House
subcommittee on courts, civil liberties , and the administration of justice,
the manufacturing execs " tried to explain to the subcommittee members that
this legislation would be very harmful to jukebox operators because phono-
graphs are not very profitable and copyright royalties have already been
heavily increased," said Larry Siegel , president of Seeburg Division . H.R .
1805 is being pushed by record companies and performers . The subcommittee
was scheduled to decide whether to report the bill favorably on October 14,
and the issue appeared very close ..... .... .. . . .. .... . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .
.... . ... .. A U. S. District Court opinion in San Francisco has dismissed counter-
claims against Pizza Time Theatre , Inc . by Brock Hotel Corp. of Topeka, Kansas,
allegeding abuse of process and unfair competition . The litigation had arisen
from a now terminated co-development agreement between the two companies .
Pizza Time had sued Brock (the Topeka Inn Management) in early 1980 after
Brock gave notice it would rescind a contract with Pizza Time to build and
operate 200 Pizza Time units in the midwestern and southern United States .
The San Francisco ruling of October l clears the way for trial of Pizza Time's
suit , in which $150 million in damages is sought .. .. .. .. ...... . ... . . . . . ...... .. .
. ... . . . ... Exidy, Inc. has announced that it will no longer maintain any
exclusive distributor relations. This announcement coincides with the
opening of Exidy's International Marketing Headquarters in London .
"We feel
that the non-exclusive arrangement with both domestic and international
distributors," states Lila Zinter , Exidy ' s director of marketing and inter-
national sales, "benefits all of our customers and all of their customers as
well." Zinter will be heading up the international headquarters to meet the
needs of Exidy's European customers . .... . .. . ..... .. .. . .... . ...... . . .. ...... .. . .
.... .. . ... Exidy Ireland has been granted an exclusive license to manufacture
Crush Roller in Europe from Samno Trading Co. Ltd . Crush Roller was a smash
hit at the JAA Show in Japan, according to Exidy's Pete Kauffman, Noah Anglin,
Howell Ivy, and Lila Zinter , who all previewed and selected it as the most
outstanding new product at the show. Director of manufacturing , John Hogan ,
stated , "All systems are go for Exidy Ireland to begin producing Crush Roller .
We look forward to a big first year in Ireland . " Exidy ' s Venture, the only
American designed game to be exhibited at the JAA Show according to Exidy , will
be licensed to a Japanese manufacturer . Also, Exidy has sold its original game
of three years ago, Starfire, to another Japanese company to be built and sold
in Japan as Rolling Starfire . Future Exidy designed games , Mouse Trap and
Victory , as well as Crush Roller , will be premiered at the AMOA Show in Chicago ..
. .. .. . .. . . Stern Electronics has obtained further federal court orders impounding
alleged pirate Scramble video games in New York City . After separate copy-
right infringement suits were fi l ed by Stern, judges ordered the seizing and
impounding of bootleg Scramble games at the Gateways , Inc. arcade on First
Avenue near . 62nd Street in Manhattan, and under a federal court order in
Brooklyn, New York , games were impounded from a game room operated by Fern-
crest Distributors, Inc. of Rhode Island , at the Sands Hotel in Atlantic
City , New Jersey. The alleged copy games involved were designated " Scrambler"
and "Air Shuttle" in the two respective cases. Meanwhile , litigation brought
by Midway Manufacturing continued in October before the International Trade
Commission to seek an order excluding copies of Midway ' s Pac - Man and Rally - X
from North American distribution . I . T . C . ruling was expected after the end of
October.
In other courts, Midway sought injunctions for seizure of pirated
g ames at numerous locations, said a Mi dway spokesman .. . . . . . . .. . .. ..... . .... .... .
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PLAY METER, D ecem b e r 1, 1981