Game researcher ducks millions in royalties

[prolly]

Ryuta Kawashima, the researcher behind Nintendo's Brain Age series of games for the DS portable system, would rather be working than enjoying $11 million in royalties he could have earned from his creations.

"Not a single yen has gone in my pocket," Dr. Kawashima told the AFP in a recent interview. Kawashima, whose likeness was heavily featured in the best-selling Brain Age games, is instantly recognizable to almost 12 million gamers worldwide.

"My hobby is work," he said. "Everyone in my family is mad at me but I tell them that if they want money, go out and earn it."


http://us.i1.yimg.com/videogames.yahoo.com/feature/game-researcher-ducks-millions-in-royalties/1184067

Okay now this sounds like a product of the Japanese education brainwash system....

[amdg]

[Charles]

[Mulboyne]

His case is different. He was entitled to a half share of the revenues but elected to give it to his university. I'm not sure I would have done the same in his position but the world feels a little bit small if everyone thinks he's a schmuck.

[Catoneinutica]

Ryuta Kawashima, the researcher behind Nintendo's Brain Age series of games for the DS portable system, would rather be working than enjoying $11 million in royalties he could have earned from his creations.

"Not a single yen has gone in my pocket," Dr. Kawashima told the AFP in a recent interview. Kawashima, whose likeness was heavily featured in the best-selling Brain Age games, is instantly recognizable to almost 12 million gamers worldwide.

"My hobby is work," he said. "Everyone in my family is mad at me but I tell them that if they want money, go out and earn it."


http://us.i1.yimg.com/videogames.yahoo.com/feature/game-researcher-ducks-millions-in-royalties/1184067

Okay now this sounds like a product of the Japanese education brainwash system....

Does it ever! The totalitarian leaders of the 20th century would cum in their pants at the prospect of being able to inculcate such unquestoning obedience in the masses.

[amdg]

Well, it seems I may be misremembering what happened. Hmm, I wonder who I was thinking of? Anyway, yes, it seems that the inventor of the Tamagotchi, Aki Komikado (nee Maita?) was happy enough with her modest salary.

http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2000/0501/japan.inventor.html

Inventors like Aki Komikado, the unassuming office lady who came up with the Tamagotchi in 1996. Despite having spawned a toy craze that earned Bandai Corp. $350 million, Komikado didn't receive a pay raise or a big bonus. "Why should I get lots of money?" says Komikado, 32. "My part in the process was very small. The real effort was made by the developers who made our product successful."

http://www.mimitchi.com/html/aki.htm

Does she feel unappreciated? "No, it wasn't my accomplishment alone. I only came up with the idea, developed the concept and took charge of the marketing program. It also took a technician and public relations person to make it into a product," she says.

lol

[amdg]

OK, I found the guy(s) I was trying to remember...

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071209a5.html

A former Toshiba Corp. employee sued the major electronics manufacturer Friday for about ¥260 million in remuneration for profits the firm reaped from basic technologies he says he invented for Japanese word-processing software.
Shinya Amano, a professor at Shonan Institute of Technology, said in a written complaint that although the firm received patents for the technologies in conjunction with him and three others and paid him tens of thousands of yen annually in remuneration, he actually developed the technologies alone.
Amano is claiming 10 percent of an estimated ¥2.6 billion in profit Toshiba made in 1996 and 1997 — much higher than the roughly ¥230,000 he was actually awarded for the work over the two-year span.

And, this guy,

http://bric.postech.ac.kr/science/97now/01_8now/010828a.html

The Japanese engineer whose breakthrough research led to a blue light-emitting diode (LED) and a blue semiconductor laser has sued his former employer for a share of the profits from his invention. Shuji Nakamura, now a professor of materials science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is seeking $16 million from Nichia Corp. of Anan, Tokushima. Observers here say it reflects a trend among scientists to gain greater recognition for their achievements.

[Greji]

OK, I found the guy(s) I was trying to remember...

You guys are all wrong. All that stuff was invented by Dr. Nakamat and nobody appreciates, or votes for him!

[amdg]

You guys are all wrong. All that stuff was invented by Dr. Nakamat and nobody appreciates, or votes for him!

I see the good doctor has lost another letter from the end of his name. If he keeps it up at this rate, he'll be "Dr.N" soon enough, and will therefore qualify as a bond villain - is that his ultimate goal?

[Greji]

[quote="amdg"]I see the good doctor has lost another letter from the end of his name. If he keeps it up at this rate, he'll be "Dr.N" soon enough, and will therefore qualify as a bond villain - is that his ultimate goal? ]

Good Point amdg. I really don't know what it is now! Google has his with and without the "s". During the election this time, it was with the "s". I think he invents a new spelling each time!

[amdg]

Many people say, yeah, negotiating a good contract from the outset is a nice idea in principle, but I’m never in such a bargaining position that would allow me to make such demands. But there are some ways to go about it in a non-abrasive manner. One idea is to include “milestone” provisions, that would only activate once a target number of sales has been reached. For example, Your contract stipulates that you receive a normal salary until one of your inventions reaches sales of 1,000,000 units. Once that milestone of 1,000,000 units has been reached, you then receive 5% of all sales as a bonus, or a pre-agreed lump sum etc. After 50,000,000 units, then another lump sum, etc etc. It suddenly doesn’t seem such a bad idea to CEO’s when they start to think about figures like ‘50,000,000 units sold’.

[amdg]

[Midwinter]

[quote="prolly"]"My hobby is work," he said. "Everyone in my family is mad at me but I tell them that if they want money, go out and earn it."

[quote]

That really does sound like my father