Thread by @crait

I can't keep quiet about this, anymore. In my free time, I investigate a lot of online fraud/scams. The scammers typically operate on a small-scale. However, with recent talk about a specific group threatening me with a lawsuit, I think it's time to share... 1/75 #Medabots $MEDA

This story gets crazy, but TL;DR, a group of folks are trying to steal the IP of a beloved childhood anime/videogame franchise, Medabots, butchering it in order to create what they call a, "videogame," using it to trick people into investing into their crypto/NFT's. 2/75

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, nor am I a financial adviser. I am, however, an engineer and gaming industry professional; I have created several games, including a game I released on the Nintendo Switch: nintendo.com/games/detail/c… 3/75

If you're not familiar with Medabots, it was a sick anime that came out in '99 and had three seasons. (In fact, the anime still holds up!) In Japan, it's called Medarot and started as a game series that still continues, to this day. Even last year, they released MedarotS. 4/75

One of my favorite games for GBA is Medabots AX. It was really influential to my understanding of game design. Even though game releases have been sparse in the West, this game was actually given a re-release in 2015/2016 on the WiiU, published by @Natsume_Inc 5/75

With the recent success of similar 90's franchises and their mobile game(s) doing well in Japan, the past few years, it seemed like it would be the perfect platform to test the waters for a release in the West by Imagineer, the owners of the Medabots/Medarot IP. 6/75

The franchise is far from abandoned, despite new Medabot stuff coming out at a snail's pace in the West. For example, the third season of the anime actually had a Blu-ray release in May of this year! Not only that, but I purchased the recent Medarotch that was just released! 7/75

But, where do the crypto/NFT scammers come in? Well, to talk about that, let's talk about a failed Indiegogo campaign that someone started in 2020, claiming to create a new-generation "Medabots" game. web.archive.org/web/2021102603… 8/75

Like other scummy Indiegogo campaigns, this one incorporated numerous flipped assets, despite their explicit claim that everything was "designed from scratch." Looking past the ugly Picrew-like character designs, their screenshots STILL have the Asset Store open in Unity! 9/75

There are sites for game developers, like myself, to purchase "assets" from. If I don't know 3D modeling, I could buy some 3D assets and put them into my game. You can even find game code that is used as a template for new developers or people who want to quickly prototype. 10/75

However, "asset flips" are VERY low-quality games that are essentially composed of nothing but purchased/free game assets. As I'll show you, later, this team will continue to show off assets and unethically claim them as their own creations. 11/75

Unlike Kickstarter, Indiegogo doesn't require a prototype to create a campaign, so they don't need to prove they have a working game. Also notice that it has flexible funding, which means that regardless of if they hit their goal, or not, they will still take your money. 12/75

This campaign shamelessly uses terms from the IP, such as "medafighter" and "robattle," as well as many/most of the robot designs being direct copies of original Medabot characters. They even copied the signature 3-v-3 customizable robot battle system. 13/75

The creator of the campaign, Kevin, claimed that they had worked on the project for 3 years, which means they started in 2017... However, the WiiU releases were about a year before that. You can't claim that a TM/IP are abandoned nearly a year after a game release. 14/75

Luckily, nobody contributed any money to the campaign and it seemed like this is where the story would have ended. Just some dude who tried to buy an expired TM and thought he could make a quick profit from it, not understanding that TM and IP are not the same thing. 15/75

See, Kevin went through the trouble of purchasing the expired TM for the word "Medabots" in the EU when he saw it had been expired for a few years, despite Medabots AX and Medabots Core 2 games releasing on the WiiU in Europe as recently as a few years before his campaign. 16/75

TM's expire from time-to-time... That doesn't mean others have the right to buy/use a TM. It especially doesn't mean that you own the IP that's typically associated with the TM in another region. Luckily, the TM is being contested right now and is "pending cancelation." 17/75

Trademarks are not designed to protect companies from other companies... They're designed to help stop companies from associating with things that they don't have the right to, in order to trick consumers into feeling more comfortable with a product. shouhyou.com/ao-32.html 18/75

Fast forward ~1 year, and that appears to be exactly what Kevin's team is doing. A social media presence began to emerge for their project, still being called, "Medabots," but now, there's a twist: It's no longer just a mobile game... It has NFT's and crypto integrated. 19/75

Their Twitter, @MedabotsWorld, started out posting bootleg characters, but gained traction when they announced that their cryptocurrency would be getting released in Sept, before any game. They claimed "Medacoin" ( $MEDA ) would be used to buy in-game robot parts as NFT's. 20/75

My general opinion of crypto is that I just stay away from it, especially knowing how many scams and problems come with it. I tend to think that any project using it is pretty sketchy. However, with its release, their coin actually started to shoot up in value. 21/75

They started making a few small-time partnerships with random people, but one of the biggest was with @Bitboy_Crypto, which happened to coincide with the height of the $MEDA value, promising him his own character in the game and other stuff. 22/75

When I try to warn people about a project like this, I typically get told that Bitboy wouldn't invest if it was a scam, etc, but the reality is that a lot of partnerships are simply paid promotions. It's very possible that @Bitboy_Crypto was also suckered into this, too. 23/75

I'll tell you more about the crypto scheme, later, but there are 2 main reasons why I know this is a scam: 1) The promises that they're making about this game are impossible to keep. 2) Kevin's team does NOT own the rights to the Medabots IP and there are on-going lawsuits. 24/75

In August, they created a website and released a whitepaper with information about $MEDA. I started looking into both and the team listed to find some shady stuff. Now, though, the big man in charge seems to be the CTO, Jonathan (@FullyVoxxed). web.archive.org/web/2021102722… 25/75

According to the site, their team is sponsored, in part, by @VacayFinance, of which Jonathan is also the CTO. I'll hold off judging Vacay, but I will say that with larger investors, you'd expect to see better quality marketing and, eventually, official gameplay. 26/75

@VacayFinance He's made some pretty dubious claims that I hope will be used in court. Specifically, in this fluff piece he did with Coin Quora (@coinquora_), he claims that they plan on exploiting the TM to illegally leverage existing consumer trust in the IP. coinquora.com/coinquora-excl… 27/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ Others on the site are listed for no other reason than they're part of some agencies that are being outsourced work. But, what's a huge red flag is that out of the listed team, they have 3 law firms along with 4 additional attorneys/lawyers. What game studio does that? 28/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ Many of the developers are from Futive TechNet (@FutiveTechnet), a studio in Pakistan that has pumped out many shameless/gross mobile asset flips. In fact, it turns out that one of their games is listed on the Play Store under the developer "Medabots." 29/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet Looking at the amount of asset flips they put out, it's no wonder that the teasers of Kevin's "game" are full of purchased assets. That team seems woefully unqualified to produce a "AAA" experience that Kevin's promising, nor is it capable of doing it securely. 30/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet But, what about the robot designs they show off? Those aren't asset flips, right? When it comes to 3D games, making a model is not good enough. You have to have that model "rigged", as well as have animations created. If you don't, the model will be stuck in an "A-pose." 31/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet Rigging allows the model to move around and takes a lot of work. The "Medabots" team has only shown off maybe 2 robots that are even rigged/animated and their game is supposedly releasing in Dec. Notice how they're all in A-poses! 32/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet Not only is this another red flag, but Medabots is all about robot customization, swapping robot parts out for other parts to create unique strategies. Meaning that if the characters are going to be properly rigged, the models must be broken up before rigging and animation. 33/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet Actually, there are a few ways to achieve this (with animation blending, etc), but Kevin's team has never shown evidence of part swapping, let alone ANY customization in their game. They advertise that you'll be able to do it with $MEDA, though. 34/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet So far, they've never shown gameplay; The crypto followers argue until blue in the face that a small teaser trailer is "real gameplay," but all it shows is an environment asset, camera movement, and a few animations that might also be assets. 35/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet If you ask them any deeper-than-surface-level questions about gameplay, how much robots will cost, etc, you will be ignored. Pressing them in social circles will cause you to be banned. They avoid these kinds of questions like the plague and harass you as being a, “fudder”. 36/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet According to their whitepaper, they plan to release it on mobile/Switch/PS/Xbox/PC, but they don't seem to realize that Steam has banned crypto games. Alongside that, you must submit your games to console manufacturers months in advance for approval! engadget.com/steam-ban-cryp… 37/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet These approval processes are super rigorous. Because of noncompliance with TOS, Apple even removed Coinbase's app. See, these consoles require that digital goods are purchased through THEM, not through another vendor. bitcoinist.com/apple-axes-cry… 38/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet In the whitepaper and elsewhere, they say that players can stake their coins in-game or them in PvP matches. Meaning players can purchase crypto, then gamble with crypto, then exchange the crypto back to real money. That is literal gambling. 39/75 web.archive.org/web/2021090223…

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet Gambling is illegal in many places, and if it's legal, platforms are VERY hesitant to support it. In fact, the ESRB would automatically put the game into the Adults Only 18+ category. The last AO game to be on a major console was in 2004. 40/75 esrb.org/ratings-guide/

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet I could go on about how unprofessional this all is... They're promising a release sometime this coming month, with a public release in Dec. According to their whitepaper, the game will be released WITHOUT Medacoin integration. That is said to come Q1, 2022. Also, a movie. 41/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet I'll talk more about why that might be, but let's look at this whitepaper a little more. According to it, it is stated that core team members, "Medabot Marketing," R&D, and reward staking all will be roughly 45% of the coin volume. 42/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet According to @WhiteboardCryp1's video, a dev holding 20% of the coins is a red flag, but, looking at BscScan, it's appears that these developers control ~60%! 43/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 When a developer controls such a large percentage of a coin, they're capable of doing what's called a rug pull, or "pull." That's basically cashing out when the price is high, crashing the value for everyone else. Here's the BscScan link: bscscan.com/token/0x913099… 44/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 Until a rug pull actually happens, the controllers of a given crypto are going to try to hype up their coin as much as they can to get in as many victims as they can. This includes making wild promises of partnerships, extra uses or gimmicks of the coins, etc. 45/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 .@WhiteboardCryp1's video warns: "If the whitepaper is less than 20 pages, it's not a whitepaper, it's a sales page." Without the 9 pages of team members/sponsors, the $MEDA whitepaper is... 13 pages long. 👀 That's all the info they think you need about the coin AND game. 46/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 According to @WhiteboardCryp1's's suggestion, we can use @Token_Sniffer's website to do a "smell test." With this link, you can see that $MEDA fails, with a score of 10/100, AKA "HIGH RISK ." tokensniffer.com/token/0x913099… 47/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer Again, in @WhiteboardCryp1's video, he warns about generic celebrity endorsements, since they likely won't know what's going on, behind the scenes. Well, to hype up $MEDA, @MedabotsWorld tried to go down this route, too. I had previously mentioned @Bitboy_Crypto, but... 48/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto ... the Medabots team, on several occasions, have heavily implied that Lionel Messi would be the next brand ambassador. As outlandish as that sounds, they've also allowed people within their (14k) Discord/Telegram communities to perpetuate these rumors as if they were fact. 49/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto Actually, this rumor was even implied in the @Bitboy_Crypto episode: (Go to 3:19) In the Discord server, they continue to push back the 'big reveal' date, saying that contracts are still being finalized. This is illegal. findlaw.com/legalblogs/sma… 50/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto There are, however, two verified, celeb ambassadors. You might even know them: They're the twins from Breaking Bad, @DanielMoncada80 and @LuisMoncada77. With them announced as ambassadors, I can see why maybe someone thought Messi was a possibility. 51/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 I dunno much about them, but, according to the SEC: "Any celebrity or other individual who promotes a virtual token or coin that is a security must disclose the nature, scope, and amount of compensation received in exchange for the promotion, arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20… 52/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 So, Jonathan ended up going to the @tresconglobal World Blockchain Summit in Dubai, bringing along the brothers, and plans of speaking at the event. This, naturally, brings a lot of excitement and hype to their project and to the coin. 53/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal It's important to note that their team was a "platinum sponsor" for the event. WBS didn't graciously invite their team to speak for free. The team essentially paid to speak. WBS didn't endorse $MEDA, but the event was played off as such to give their team more legitimacy. 54/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal Sorry about your ears, but you can watch Jonathan's talk, here: Among other lies, he, again, claims that Kevin bought the IP. 🙄 He also claims they are launching the game with "480 NFT's" as part of their pay-to-win gambling. 55/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal I've talked to many people about this to warn them about how it's shady as heck... Responses have ranged from thanking me to telling me that they know it's a scam, but they just want to make $$. Mostly, I've been called a "fudder," which is an insult for someone skeptical. 56/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal However, some folks did reach out to me. To my surprise, some were investors from WBS. I warned them as well as I could... In exchange, I was told a lot of really shady details. But, for the sake of anonymity (and how easy these claims are to deny), I will not include them. 57/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal Like I said, I don't care about crypto, so it's up to you to decide if that's a scam. I'm just a huge fan of Medabots, so when I saw Imagineer had a new mobile game out, with partnerships like @bandai_toys, I was pumped and dreamt of them bringing that game to the West. 58/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys Is there a reason why Imagineer won't bring this game to the West? Does it have something to do with Kevin's team and this TM dispute? Or the crypto fools continued lies about his team owning the IP? Did Imagineer actually lose the rights to their IP in some absurd lawsuit? 59/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys Let's jump back, a second... According to this link, he did apply for and successfully register for the Medabots TM. But, as I showed, TM is not IP. That's like owning the sign to a factory and claiming to own the factory and everything it produces. euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#detai… 60/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys What happened next was absurd: Because he owned the TM, he told Imagineer that they needed to change the name of their MedarotS game. They ignored him, so Kevin decided to sue Imagineer to stop them from selling their game in the EU. bloomberg.com/press-releases… 61/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys I also think it’s funny that the article states that Kevin is making a game with a "completely original design," which we know is a lie. It’s completely derivative of the original games and Medabots concept, as Jonathan even pointed out, at WBS. 62/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys Imagineer actually publicly responded, back in January, albeit in Japanese. They claim that it's still "in dispute" and that, "We have filed a counterclaim, including a request for registration of change to the Imagineer." imagineer.co.jp/news/news.php?… 63/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys Because Imagineer's fighting back, you can see many regions freezing Kevin's claim to TM, and on the @USPTO website, it has a "Cancellation Pending" status. Using these docs, you can actually see that the filings go all the way back to June of 2020. ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=… 64/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto Imagineer claimed that they'd be damaged by Kevin's use of "Medabots" because they still release Medabot goods, and, since their IP is "famous," his use would wrongly associate their high quality with his project, as Jonathan would love. Read more: ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=… 65/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto My favorite part of these filings are Kevin's responses, which you can see, here: ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=… Kevin pretty much just says he never heard of any Medabots games, despite the overwhelming evidence that he's directly copying their gameplay. 66/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto Since last year, there's really been no major development with the TM/IP... Both parties have gone back and forth, requesting different time extensions. This isn't what Kevin's team is perpetuating, though... They are claiming that they definitively won. How? No clue. 67/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto Imagineer recently requested for a time extension, which worried many fans that think things are dragging on, but their representation is from Holley & Menker (holleymenker.com), "recognized as leading trademark professionals by [WTR] for third year in a row." 68/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto There's likely a good explanation for this, but whatever the reason is, it's good that the date is pretty much the supposed release date from @MedabotsWorld. This means that they won't be able to blame Imagineer's lawsuits on their inability to deliver on their promises. 69/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto Speculation: Because Kevin's name's on these lawsuits, if he loses and Jonathan rug pulls, then Kevin will be in a world of trouble. From what I've seen, Kevin is a nice fellow, but he's being manipulated into making certain moves that benefit others more than him. 70/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto When I've pointed out they're exploiting TM laws to mislead consumers, I've been called names and threatened with lawsuits. It's just a bully tactic to silence people in order to protect the crypto prices. However, $MEDA has been rocky, to say the least. 71/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto However, if you blindly trusted the thousands of spam messages you see all over Twitter/social media, you’d expect that the coin is going “to the moon.” But, what you might not be aware of is that many/most of these are from people in "shilling competitions." 72/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto Their shilling contests are shameless. In their Discord, I asked if the participants needed to disclose they are spamming to win money/prizes. I was told yes, but this was never once enforced and participants were never made aware. That's illegal. pillsburylaw.com/en/news-and-in… 73/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto Actually, because of the shilling contests and their spam, the Medabots hashtag often gets temporarily frozen/reset by Twitter. This could help work in Kevin's favor, since it could get in the way of a judge investigating how famous the franchise actually is. 74/75

@VacayFinance @coinquora_ @FutiveTechnet @WhiteboardCryp1 @Token_Sniffer @MedabotsWorld @Bitboy_Crypto @DanielMoncada80 @LuisMoncada77 @TresconGlobal @bandai_toys @uspto So, what can we do? Well, all we can really do is wait. I'm certain Imagineer will win. Maybe if enough people talk about it, it'll help drown out the bootleg scam. So, share a pic of your favorite Medabot or a memory of the franchise. #Medabots #メダロット #FreeMedabots