White Wolf has not directly supplied The LARPer with information, but posted the following press-release information on their website. The most recent is the Post of February 14:

February 14 Post

On TRO's and Settlements

Hello. As you can see we're back in the fanclub business. Thankfully the judge, having more thoroughly reviewed the case, has decided that White Wolf is allowed to talk to their fans, and that it would be significantly damaging to our company to allow the NPO to prevent us from contacting and interacting with the people who bought memberships in our official fan club. With the TRO lifted we can return to the business of servicing this club and getting things off the ground.

We did not expect the TRO to be maintained. The case, regardless of the assertions of the NPO, is fairly clear cut. There's not a lot a gray areas regarding Trademark law. And there are likewise very clear laws that support a new company's liability when they assume all assets, products, services and relationships of a previous company. Otherwise a company like "Skippy Burger" could simply transfer assets , reincorporate as "Skippy Burgers" and avoid any and all legal obligations that Skippy Burger had when that "wholly and completely different" burger restaurant was in business giving people food poisoning. But the law wouldn't let Skippy Burgers get away with this, and I doubt it will let the NPO dodge their obligations either.

Regarding a settlement, I am open to considering one. Thus far, Shea has declined my requirement for her to sign a non-disclosure agreement prior to negotiation. This is necessary because some board members have been only too willing to select key facts, take them out of context and represent them to the club membership in what I can only describe as a duplicitous manner. However, since there's no actual discussion taking place at the moment, I'll give them our terms here and now, straight from the horse's mouth.

White Wolf's needs in this settlement are very clear. We consider the Camarilla to be a name we own. It was taken from our books and used in commerce with our express written permission. It's not legal or ethical for another business entity to attempt to take the name away from us. It sets a dangerous precedent and devalues our intellectual property. It was primarily that assertion (along with their announcement to possibly divorce themselves from our company but to continue on as a business that profits from our property) in Shea's Jan 13th letter which brought this situation to a head. The response from White Wolf could not have been a surprise for the board as we made our needs and our recourses on this matter clear throughout the years of negotiation.

White Wolf can likewise not, in good conscience, continue any sort of formal business relationship with a company that attacks our intellectual property, enjoins us from communicating with our fans, and tries to sue us for the expenses of a lawsuit they chose to file. We cannot have a relaxed business relationship with such a company. We cannot have any relationship with such a company. Unlike the NPO business entity, who's directors have other jobs which support their lifestyles, White Wolf uses its money to compensate employees for the work they do. Bringing a lawsuit to bear against us and forcing us to expend over $20,000 to defend ourselves in the State of Utah directly threatens the income of the people this company is responsible for employing. It's not play money to us. We use that money to pay our employees and we invest it so we can make more games in years to come. Litigation is expensive and ALWAYS our last possible resort. If the law is not clearly on our side, we settle out of court. We're not a big company and can't afford a loss like that. However, we believe we are firmly in the right and will not allow the NPO to take our intellectual property or distance us from the individuals who joined this club with the understanding that it was the Official White Wolf fan club.

Prior to going to court I did ask Shea to talk. She avoided my call and did not express a willingness to schedule a conversation. Once I found out we were being sued, my one request to her was that they not release that information publicly. My reasoning for this was not to keep the membership in the dark. My reasoning is the same as it has always been. You joined the club to have fun and play a game, not to be burdened by the details of ongoing legal action. That is a business matter being handled by courts of law, and it should have stayed there. The BOD has turned this into something more like a title card boxing match or a 3 ring circus.
My overall point is that there is no good faith left with the BOD. In spite of their public statement that they've returned to the negotiation table to discuss a smooth transition, the board has yet to actually do so. Likewise, they've not dropped their lawsuit against us. The BOD as a corporate entity has broken their word to us on several occasions. They've misrepresented the facts to the membership and the Federal Courts. They've ignored the few entreaties of fair play we asked of them both before and after they began litigation against us. In short, they have conducted themselves in a fashion that was so unethical, underhanded and torturous to our business and financial stability that we will not allow their company (and they are a company) to represent or profit from our intellectual property.

Now if their intentions to maintain the chronicle are sincere, and their interest in preserving the game and serving the membership are true, they will work with us to transfer these elements to White Wolf's Camarilla. They will get involved in supporting the new club to make it as good, if not better, then the old one. The only circumstances that will keep them from considering this option are profit and pride. It would mean they could no longer function as a business and would have to admit that they made some grievous mistakes in managing their relationship with the company that (at the very least) owns the property that they had based their business upon.

Our issues are limited to the Board of Directors, not the volunteers who supported the company they ran, and certainly not the customers who purchased services from that company. The Board of Directors ran a company that based its business on White Wolf's world and property. They benefited greatly from the efforts of countless volunteers, but the business was still controlled by the Board, not the volunteers that reported to them. We are welcoming these experienced individuals into our club to help run the events and activities that you, the customers, have come to expect from the White Wolf Official Fan Club.

We are starting our own official fan club. It is called The Camarilla. The new Camarilla is still a fan driven club; members will have both voice and recourse within the organization. The new club will simply not be run by the third party company the BOD represents. I would hope that most people who are existing members of our former official fan club will take advantage of the 2 year free membership that we are offering them. I would also hope that the BOD step up, admit their mistakes in this matter and make some humble decisions that allow the complete preservation of the story and characters ­ for the sake of the fans and members who play in the game. I think they have the right decision in them. I hope they look beyond their business goals for the NPO and recognize that its original purpose was to serve the game and the membership, and that as a direct result of their actions the NPO is no longer in a position to fulfill those purposes. I hope they understand that these are the consequences of their actions. I hope they understand the inflexibility of the position they've put us in. And I hope they do what's best for the membership and allow this game and community to remain intact, and that they do so with their blessing.

Mike Tinney
President
White Wolf Publishing