Anyone have advice about UD Redemptions?

[Soxfan33]

Hey everyone,

Is anyone else nervous about their UD redemptions? UD is scheduled to be in court tomorrow to find out what their damages payments will be for the Yugi-Oh (or whatever it is) counterfeits.

I have 2 autos that I'm still waiting for that will complete my 08 UD Masterpieces Stroke of Genius auto set, Griffey & Victor Martinez. They are very over-due, and I've been checking in quite often. The Griffey is said to be in the re-printing stage because they have been lost, and they have no input on the whereabouts of the Martinez.

I think it's too late to ask for a replacement, which I REALLY DON'T WANT because I need them for my set. The problem is, they could be financially ruined tomorrow (26 Jan 2010 is the court date) and I could get nothing.

This all comes from the article from another Bench member posted recently. Link is below.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/hitting_the_deck_tEGWRrnsRaeT64DijxTQXK


Anyone else have input or advice?

Thanks,
John

 

[avstars]

I'm a little bit concern about the article, but I would still wait for them if you really want them. I don't think it's too late to ask for a replacement if you want to since it's their fault that they can't sent you your redemption on time. I'll be damn if UD do go out of business tomorrow.

 

[theplasticman]

They wont go out of business. I'd be very surprised.

 

[Soxfan33]

I'm a little bit concern about the article, but I would still wait for them if you really want them. I don't think it's too late to ask for a replacement if you want to since it's their fault that they can't sent you your redemption on time. I'll be damn if UD do go out of business tomorrow.

My hope is that I will get them. Some collectors have said that they had redemptions from Fleer when they went under and never got them. When I saw that this could potentially cripple them, I wondered what I should do as far as waiting it out or ask for a replacement.

They wont go out of business. I'd be very surprised.

I don't think they will either, but that article definitely got me thinking. I guess we'll see what happens today.

Thanks for the posts guys!
John

 

[mindbinge]

i just gave up on UD...I'm not buying anymore of thier product unless it's a single Bradshaw that I need, i'll just get that stuff from eBay or trades or whatever...I'm done with UD and their attitude towards collectors.

and...if they go under because of this, then good...they got what they deserved for becoming what they started out as a company to stand against.

 

[budd2222]

Hey everyone,

Is anyone else nervous about their UD redemptions? UD is scheduled to be in court tomorrow to find out what their damages payments will be for the Yugi-Oh (or whatever it is) counterfeits.

I have 2 autos that I'm still waiting for that will complete my 08 UD Masterpieces Stroke of Genius auto set, Griffey & Victor Martinez. They are very over-due, and I've been checking in quite often. The Griffey is said to be in the re-printing stage because they have been lost, and they have no input on the whereabouts of the Martinez.

I think it's too late to ask for a replacement, which I REALLY DON'T WANT because I need them for my set. The problem is, they could be financially ruined tomorrow (26 Jan 2010 is the court date) and I could get nothing.

This all comes from the article from another Bench member posted recently. Link is below.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/hitting_the_deck_tEGWRrnsRaeT64DijxTQXK


Anyone else have input or advice?

Thanks,
John

Upper Deck published a statement dated today that they won in court. Found it when I did a google search.

 

[Soxfan33]

Upper Deck published a statement dated today that they won in court. Found it when I did a google search.

That statement is dated 26 Jan 2009. I did the same thing when I saw it. It was this one, right?

http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/ude/en/articles.aspx?aid=5158

From what I took from the article says in my first post, I understand that they have already lost, and will find out what the financial penalties will be today.

John

 

[mindbinge]

Yeah this is from last year, and is all but laughable and somewhat ironic considering a year to the day they will see the hammer fall for this very thing.


Court Rules in Favor of Upper Deck




North Las Vegas, NV (January 26, 2009) — Since December, Konami has twice attempted to convince the courts to issue a restraining order against Upper Deck in Konami’s case against Vintage. Both times, the courts have not been persuaded by mere allegations and have denied Konami’s motions. To date, California courts have sided with Upper Deck on all rulings. In Europe, Upper Deck International obtained an injunction against Konami, forcing them to honor their contractual commitments there.



On December 11, 2008, following several attempts to negotiate with Konami for the betterment of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, Upper Deck filed a breech of contract suit against Konami, citing unfair business practices and several instances where Konami had made moves to undermine and ultimately take over the Yu-Gi-Oh! business from Upper Deck. Konami representatives have tried on several occasions to obtain proprietary information from Upper Deck regarding key programs used to support, market and distribute the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand in North America and Europe. Upper Deck has refused to lower itself to the unfair and backstabbing tactics that Konami has used over the past several years toward their ultimate goal of removing Upper Deck from the Yu-Gi-Oh! business.



The day following Upper Deck’s suit, Konami added Upper Deck as a defendant in its three month-old lawsuit against Vintage, an absurd allegation with dubious timing considering Upper Deck’s history of fighting Yu-Gi-Oh! counterfeit cards over the last six years.



Since the start of the Yu-Gi-Oh! distribution in the USA and Europe, Upper Deck and the Yu-Gi-Oh! consortium (Shueisha, ADK, TV Tokyo and Sensei Takahashi) have suffered irrevocable harm by Konami's unwillingness to give Upper Deck legal support in fighting against the manufacture and importation of billions of counterfeit Yu-Gi-oh! cards. Upper Deck has spent millions of dollars fighting against Yu-Gi-Oh! counterfeits and even raided Chinese factories itself because Konami refused to do so or, in some cases, simply reacted too late.



To think that Upper Deck would be involved in YGO counterfeit activity is therefore not only absurd, it simply does not make sense.



Upper Deck estimates that Yu-Gi-Oh! counterfeit activity since 2003 has resulted in damages to the company of several hundreds of millions of dollars in the European and North American territories.



Despite Konami’s unfounded charges against Upper Deck, the company is continuing to support the Yu-Gi-Oh! community with the upcoming Upper Deck Day, a special tournament that will offer high-level Dueling and great prizes, including a Gold Sarcophagus to the winner at each location. Please visit UDE.com for more information about Upper Deck Day.

 

[mindbinge]

The trial to decide the extent of damages suffered by Konami after Upper Deck produced unauthorized Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards is expected to enter its second day in a U.S. District Court on Wednesday in Los Angeles, though the companies may be attempting to settle the long-running case.

“Details are still being worked out [regarding a possible settlement],” said a spokesperson representing one of the companies late Tuesday evening.

The case remained on the schedule of U.S. District Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank as of Tuesday evening and is estimated to last another week as Konami seeks “hundreds of millions of dollars in damages” after Upper Deck was found to have produced more than 600,000 unauthorized cards.

A message to Konami’s lawyer was returned with an auto-reply on Tuesday stating that he was “in trial without regular access to email.”

On Jan. 10, a judge ruled that Konami “presented evidence to establish every element of liability [for] counterfeit activity and violation of federal unfair competition law, pursuant to the Lanham Act, on the part of the Defendants.”


SIDE NOTE: got this from Upper Deck today...lol.

-30% off everything store wide with coupon code : JANUARY entered at checkout.

 

[bongo870]

I hate to say this but the Griffey auto has been out. I wish I can remember but there was a collector who wanted there redemption filled and they could not. So they sent him the Griffey auto one. He even posted the pic. He said he was happy because it was on card.
I will have to try to see where I saw that....

 

[jdshuskers]

According to Blowout Cards, the two sides reached a settlement this morning and the jury has been let go. The settlement is private, though, so the amount is not being released to the public. I'm sure some "source" will soon release the amount of the final settlement. The good news (at least for those with outstanding redemptions) is that you'd imagine that UD would not settle for an amount that would put them out of business.

http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/news-announcements/54380-upper-deck-settles-konami.html

 

[dankir96]

Sure. Don't buy UD products.

 

[Soxfan33]

I hate to say this but the Griffey auto has been out. I wish I can remember but there was a collector who wanted there redemption filled and they could not. So they sent him the Griffey auto one. He even posted the pic. He said he was happy because it was on card.
I will have to try to see where I saw that....

I think you're confusing the 07 & 08 Masterpieces autos.

Here's an 07:



This was what the 08 was supposed to look like. I redeemed my card in Nov 2008, three months after the product release. UD never got them signed.

 

[bongo870]

I think you're confusing the 07 & 08 Masterpieces autos.

Here's an 07:



This was what the 08 was supposed to look like. I redeemed my card in Nov 2008, three months after the product release. UD never got them signed.

Thats it i was confused about the year. But that was the card he got. The 2008 looks much nicer!

 

[Soxfan33]

Thats it i was confused about the year. But that was the card he got. The 2008 looks much nicer!

I agree. I was real excited for the 08. I'm still looking into whether they can print them or not. The customer service rep didn't convince me. He didn't sound confident in the info he gave me.

Thanks,
John

 

[75zito]

Thats it i was confused about the year. But that was the card he got. The 2008 looks much nicer!

I don't like the 08.. the BIG upper deck logo going over his face is kind of ugly.. they should of either made it smaller or put it behind him.. Just my opinion.

 

[Soxfan33]

I don't like the 08.. the BIG upper deck logo going over his face is kind of ugly.. they should of either made it smaller or put it behind him.. Just my opinion.

That's just the proof card from their website. They don't actually have the logo like that on the card.

John

 

[PogoCards]

Brings up a sore subject with me. I got hit pretty bad when Fleer folded, regarding redemptions. I had 4-6 Robin Yount Auto/GU redemptions outstanding from 2004 E-X Signings of the Times. I purchased the redemption cards from Ebay when the product had only been out for a short time. I waited and waited to get something back. As they were heading toward bankruptcy and I had not received anything, I thought it unlikely that I would receive anything. I was surprised when I received a couple of envelopes from Fleer that contained a Royce Clayton auto and some inserts. Not quite the same thing. Still don't have a Yount auto for my collection. I have not been a fan of redemptions since that time. I have had only fair luck with Upper Deck and Topps. I have received about 3/4 of them back and only had a few where they sent a replacement card, instead of the card that I was actually supposed to receive. A couple times I have received something better than what I was supposed to have received, but other times, what I received was not even close, in my mind, in value/interest to what I was supposed to have received.

My hope is that I will get them. Some collectors have said that they had redemptions from Fleer when they went under and never got them. When I saw that this could potentially cripple them, I wondered what I should do as far as waiting it out or ask for a replacement.



I don't think they will either, but that article definitely got me thinking. I guess we'll see what happens today.

Thanks for the posts guys!
John