No, that's NOT true. PPS has the license to remake Bally/Williams machines, but only so far as the trademarks and designs that belong to Williams.

Other IP (like Twilight Zone, Addams Family, Congo, The Shadow) would still need to be licensed from the holders of THOSE properties. That's one of the reasons why the release of MBr was delayed - there were licensing problems with Universal Studios over the rights to their Monsters.

CGC can remake those machines (assuming they WANT to), only if they can get agreements with those other groups - some of which will be quite difficult.

Here is a link to PPS games site where they state that they have the Williams rights. Note that it specifically mentions needing additional rights to 3rd party properties.

http://www.planetarypinball.com/docs/PPS%20Rights%20Letter%20-%20SGI-WEG.pdf

What I don't know is if PPS / CGC could take the design of a machine like The Shadow, and re-skin it by removing all the movie references.

Basically, just using the playfield layout for a "new" machine - either based on some new property or something of their own idea.

I suspect that this would be permitted, but am not certain.

If by that you mean I can read what PPS has posted on their own website, then ok - I guess.

Of course, they don't address in that letter if the owners of The Shadow property have any sort of shared ownership of the playfield layout for that machine. Therefore, I can't answer "my own question" with any real confidence. It's likely that PPS has the full rights to the layout, but not definite.

Having worked in the video game industry for many years, and worked on various licensed properties, I do know a little about how these things work.

Well, if the real answer is different than what PPS has posted on their own website, you should tell him to update their site.

(and while there is no reason to resort to name-calling, if you look carefully you will see that my avatar is a South Park character...not a Muppet).

TZ would be expensive to build certainly, but I don't see Addams Family as being much more expensive to build than MM, AFM, or MB. Of course that may depend upon how expensive the licensing issues are.