It's easy enough to posit a number of situations that would compel NCSoft to cough up the IP for CoH -- and even the backups of the servers and codebase, if it still exists -- to someone else. That the CoH playerbase would be able to acquire the resources that would be required to put NCSoft in that position is what is unbelievable.
yeah if NCSOFT still choose to do so. In theory they could probably release all of that for free. Into to compel someone you must find out what would compel them, which caries from situation to situation person to perons business to business corporation to corpoeration. I.E. Saying "Give me the code I'll give you ten million." Some companies will fly out a dude that day/or fly you in, with first class seats to see what the deal is about. Others wont even bothering to replying to the request.
You are right though, I'm not sure if the playerbase would be able to aquire the "resources" that would compel them.
Remember even if a company go bankrupt it doesnt mean their prpoerty is automatically divied up. There are many defunct products even when a company go through bankrupt that they hold on. I.E GM. Some brands they own the rights too, havent made in years or sold and in many cases the company holding the rights to brand still havent released product like Crysler still own the rights to the Desoto automobile but havent made one in decades. Maybach, been owned by DaimlerAG for nearly 100 years but prior to 2004, didnt sell a single automobile under the Maybach name since the early 1900s. Although that is also an example of the folly of sitting on unused property too long. When Maybach returned, not many people even knew what Maybach was or that it even existed before. Even GM owns a long list of product they no longer make, some not since 1931, and even when thye needed bailout and went bankrupt and had to reset their stock symbol and stuff, they didnt bother selling much. They killed off a few and sat on it, and more than likely from what it is said, they have no plans to sell the likes of Pontiac or Oldsmobile nor intend to bringing them back anytime soon. Although they tried to sell Hummer but couldnt find "suitable" buyer even though there were offers from private companies and auto manufactures from India and China.
Good thing about ownership-It's mostly yours to do what you please with it within limits of law, whether ya decide to use it or not, which is within the limits of law in majority cases.
Bad thing about ownership-It's the owner to do what they please with within the limits of the law, which sometimes come at the chargin of people that were consumers of said property and wished to continue to use and enjoy said property.
It's even more extreme with software because with hrd products, you can keep what you bought and as long as it's functional ya can keep it even if it's obsolete ot no longer made. Software, it's basically a rental license risk that at any moment that the owner may decide, "ya know what? I think we dont want to offer this anymore." As they said with kickstarter, everything comes with a risk of loss especially when partaking in someone else property.
Frankly, personally, there is no reason for NCSOFT to sell the IP. The fan base of COX declared war with them, so why give the group that declared them enemy anything or even entertain their offers even if they could make one?
Me personally if I had an object someone wanted and at the time I wasnt using but wasnt plan on selling, and the person that made the offer gets pissy and said "F*** you", even if I change my mind later and wanted to sell, it wouldnt be to him or anyone associated with him. In fact, just out of spite, I might dismantle it in front of his eyes and put the pieces in the garage, grab a chair and my Rott. while cell phone in the other hand and dare him to step a toe over the property line and try to steal it. Now if instead he acted civil, if I decided to sale he probably would get first dibs on it if he was still interested and a good price.
But in business it's more professional and they probably just sit on it just because they can and figure eventually everyone will forget or move on. They found that isnt the case mostly after a year, but a year feeling to average human is merely a month in the business world.
