I think there is a priority: get back the money.
I don't think ( maybe i am wrong) the negociation Will be with JPop but AP. So just Forget a while JPop and give us a chance to get an agreement. I don't try to convince people that JPop is a good person, but just to get the best chance to succeed and i can't see how it is possible If we don't manage to get AP in the right side.

I think every pinball company exists just to piss me off

AP seems to be John P

JJP and their F'n BS promises

Stern & their QC + pricing

No wonder arcade games are increasing in value again lol

I am I missing something here? What difference does it make? He was there from the beginning, Ok. Let them make MG and deliver it. Do we care if they set up their company and listed him as a contact?

Get it back from where? It's gone, Jpop spent it all. This new company is just going to give away money to everyone? Not just MG, but all the RAZA and AIW buyers? All the people Jpop stiffed? They're going to make Cointaker whole again too? There's a long line.

Does that sound at all rational? We're talking at a minimum hundreds of thousands of dollars. They're just going to give that away?

Is this where we hear the pitch that starts with "Well, if you'll just buy the new Jpop game ..."?

I have Mr.68 on ignore because I don't care to receive any more abusive PMs from him (hi Kim, grow up), but I can tell from his downvotes on my posts and people talking about the Facebook group that he's around. If he's squeezing blood from a stone then good for him, but I don't see what that has to do with people talking about what a liar, crook, and con artist Jpop is.

"We were going to make a deal with you, but Aurich said a mean thing about John, so deal's off!"

JJP and their QC! Stern and code issues! I hate pinball why do I even play them! aaaagh

Ha! Don't hold your breath. This crowd is about as timid as can be (away from their keyboards). A few examples come to mind:

The event where some dude was verbally assaulting female players and most meekly looked on and *bravely* posted about it later.
The event where the OTHER pinball's-most-wanted-scammer was seen (an auction i think?) and the most aggressive action was a surreptitious photo..of his back....

I'm not trying to be insulting, but it seems pretty obvious. If AP is simply a new JPop company, don't you think they have a higher obligation to make things 100% right with past customers and vendors? This new finding really shouldn't be all that shocking. Why else would a "new company" take on that liability.

Is there a doctor in the house?

I'm happy for everyone that believes Aurich when he says he doesn't read me. (sheesh)

As a Contact on initial filing, its possible, and Im no lawyer, so I could be wrong, that financial interest is in principal
involved in this company, AP. We dont know how other things are set up, but if the current legal action has any ties to
John Personally, or patents, assets of Zidware, one cant simply create another company and move those assets over
cleanly.

...its as bed as Kevin buying a house under his wifes name.

Please do correct me if Im wrong.

My opinion now, is still the same in the sense that anything positive for our friends who are capitalized in some way.
If it means, " dont rock the boat", or antagonize etc.. I agree.
I myself, cant advocate 1 penny to this situation for any game for any reason, unless those affected are resolved.

Now to the level we give them a chance, an audience....I think we should, but with no blinders and no money.

But you have a licence not the company charter. We also don't know what they're going to do about the MG/AIW/RAZA owners yet.

Does the license really just say John P .. no full last name?
How unusual is that (under any circumstance) ... it's like they are trying to hide it.

On one hand, putting Jpop as an alternate contact when there are only 3 employees seems normal. But the fact they don't show the last name makes me wonder if the deal includes any equity stake in AP. If so, that's a whole other animal.

Thats right, its unknown, and I am very much a layman.

Even if John is not on Corporate records, and is a 1099 Independent Contractor,
The use of assets, patents assigned to another company needs "something".
That is suppose to be an asset of Zidware, and by extension property subject to any legal action against Zidware.
Zidware may now have to declare bankruptcy? And then its Pinside fault? I just dont know and im speculating blindly.
Something I have now been wrong about a couple times in this fiasco.

We simply need a lot more transparency here. This appears to still be John running things, IMO.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

Yes, it was only the initial in the application as well. The app had the state/zip also in those sections, but the government dropped them in the license.

Here, I'll just post the application as well. Again, all redacting is mine to ensure my compliance with Pinside, nothing was redacted by the government.

AmPin-LicenseApp (resized).jpg

Very fishy indeed.

It could be a significant legal issue, because Zidware, Inc. is an insolvent company owned by Popadiuk. If Popadiuk is also an owner, officer, or director of American Pinball, and American Pinball has in any way acquired or received via transfer any assets from Zidware, the corporate veil of American Pinball could be pierced. In other words, if Zidware goes into bankruptcy, it could drag American Pinball in with it.

If American Pinball was smart, they would only be dealing with Popadiuk as a contractor.

John P. consultant = test out your playfield layout in foam core.

Added over 7 years ago: Not so

He's not listed as a principal. Seems to me he's just an "emergency key contact" whatever that means.

But has anyone actually pursued Zidware's liabilities? We know him to be insolvent... but he's not been forced into any bankruptcy.. he's not had any judgements against him. Has anyone even taken him to collections?

Sorry, I know I should ignore this, but it's a pet peeve of mine when people announce who they have on ignore. It's counter-productive and irrelevant.

Sure...but why put a "consultant" with no formal association with the company as your second emergency key contact? I'd say it's clear that AP and JPop are linked more then they have indicated in their facebook posts.

Is posting about irrelevant posts relevant?

Catchy... Could this be the "Carthago Delenda Est" of our times?

The emergency contact is just someone who has access to the facility (think keys/alarm codes). If he is working on designs there, I don't see that be an issue.

The thing I find more interesting, is the license is required from Jan 1 - Dec 31 and it was filed for on March 1. This means the company was most likely doing nothing in that facility before March. They very well could have been working together on machines before then, but I doubt they moved into a manufacturing facility before filing for the license.

At least we know this isn't something they dreamed up and started two weeks ago. It's been in the works for a while.

Except that this would fail the Safe Harbor Act of an Independent contractor, and if John declared himself as such, there would be legal/tax issues.....

This one I know, unless the laws have changed, as I had a federal tax hearing, and truly rarely is an Independent contractor allowed keys and access, accept for a short period of time, as created in contract. Being named in this manner is a big flag.

If JPop has anything to with the company other than being a designer, we should all run from AP. The fact that they decided to use such a "questionable" designer in the first place shows bad business ethic. When getting into any business you should do extensive research, and know who not to touch with a ten foot pole in that industry.
All in all this just seems to me to be more smoke and mirrors. I'll patiently await the outcome, or lack there of one.

I almost posted the following a couple of times:

"As long as AP/JPOP doesn't ask for pre-order money and pays its employees and suppliers, why not give them a chance."

BUT, then I reminded myself that JPOP has proven himself to be incapable of doing the things AP is claiming.

I reminded myself that JPOP took over $1M from people who first believed, then gave the benefit of the doubt and finally accepted failure.

I reminded myself that false hope sometimes comes with a price. But I'm not bitter or anything...

A Key Contact is someone who gets phoned if there is a break in or fire at the place of business. You can see the form also asks for the Alarm companies details down the bottom.

It DOES NOT MEAN he owns anything. It just means he works at the factory and has a key. You can see that the main guy put himself as main key holder, and if they can't get hold of him, they ring the second guy on the list (John P)

Odds on he is listed as John P because the guy who filled in the form (presumably the main guy) didn't know how to spell his name properly. That's why everyone calls him JPOP after all, they don't know how to spell his name without looking it up!

Again the internet explodes because they don't know/can't understand a simple form and jump to some conclusion...

rd

I believe it's spelled Poopadookie.

According to the Illinois Secretary of State website, American Pinball Inc. was incorporated on October 27, 2015, and its annual report filing date was September 8, 2016 (approximately 3 weeks ago).

American_Pinball_ILSOS.jpg

That form really doesn't mean anything legally.

Once again, not that it really matters, but you'd have to suspend all common sense to think Jpop isn't a silent partner. I know he is.

I think Scott is an attorney?

I have a client that is a 65% silent partner of my LLC Oil & Gas services company client, as in he shows up nowhere on anything, primarily because the clients they work for won't do business with him personally any longer. Yet he put up the $$$.

Really simple to fix, give Jpop a option to buy a % of the LLC membership units at his convenience, for $10 and other good and valuable consideration.

If they ever resolve the Zidware issues then in rides Jpop as an owner. Will anybody care? Who knows.

In any event its an easy legal work around, including the licensing of any IP from Zidware.

Man, I have no idea how to spell that guys name without looking it up. There are letters that should not be where letters should be.

rd

Say your city name again? Pukekohe?? Pop meets Kettle...

I can spell Pukekohe.

JPOP can spell his last name.

Doesn't mean everyone else can.

rd

They were incorporated back in Oct 2015. So clearly they were underway going back at least that far. But they could have been working out of their basement/whatever for awhile. They'd want the license when they had to start paying bills, people, etc... establish the tax records, etc. So certainly more 'heavy lifting' and engaging with others probably started more along those licensing timeframes.

Adding to the flare... the business is incorporated with the agent's address being a simple 2 story residential house in the area. A house D.V. bought just in 2014.. I can understand if he has rental properties, etc.. but seems kind of transient to use that kind of address in your formal business dealings... especially when you were supposed to be an established proprietor.

https://www.redfin.com/IL/Hoffman-Estates/1155-Kingsdale-Rd-60169/home/13738050

I just love how their website acts like all of dad's business are AP's successes... and no talk about being a fresh company, etc.

Yes..That's basically what I was saying. The licence contact could be anyone. Doesn't mean he owns the company.

Just to clarify:

"Beware JPOP. He is a conman and he will steal your money."

If you don't own a business, then you are only speculating. Initial filings are quite often done to a home address until the business is established.

There is nothing funny here. You guys are reaching for something you will never find if Dhavani is a smart businessman. There is no paper trail that shows JPop as anything other than an employee and/or consultant of A.P. And there will not be until all his legal doings are resolved or bankrupted.

Look at the property... look at the people involved... look at the property records for the property involved. I have a very hard time thinking this is his home, but is instead a rental/investment property. Which kind of adds to the peculiarity.

I was only commenting on the timeframe... and the filings... not trying to 'expose' any jpop connection.

Yeah, I don't see the point of a witch hunt against the company. No one has any beef with them as of yet, just the guilt by association. Maybe they're part of a super conspiracy, maybe they're naive, who knows.

Does it even matter? Jpop can be a contractor or the secret vice president, that will all come out in the wash eventually. Maybe they'll magically make everyone whole, and we can have a conversation about whether people are willing to forgive and forget then.

In the meantime ain't nothing like that happened, so it seems reasonable to me to say "a new Jpop game? wtf?" and leave it at that, without trying to play internet detective. Because that's all that's freaking me out. A weirdly muted reveal in a Vegas hotel room of a brand new Jpop game. I'm not crazy to think that's nuts am I?

American Pinball seems to be an S Corporation and not an LLC or LLP. Impressive.

I can't believe that this statement has been taken so lightly.

AP with idiot John is requesting more money!!! This band of con artists are starting the same scheme again to steel YOUR money!! UNREAL!!!!

Don't give this horse sh!t group one damn cent. Don't do it or you'll be sorry.

QSS

He was talking about old Jpop stuff, no one has been asked for money for Houdini (that I know of).

So is Houdini on location going to dispense money to say sorry to the pinball community?

Whew....... ok......I'll come back off the ledge. Jeeze, I thought this was a new request for funds. Holy crap,....... I'm gonna go have a drink now and try to chill the F#ck down.

QSS

Maybe Houdini will punch Jpop in the stomach?

"FYI: That's how Houdini died"

You are easily impressed.

I think the machine needs more pictures of Houdini's head.
Fun fact Houdini made the first plane flight in Australia

http://www.harryhoudini.com.au/