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I have received perhaps 20-30 replies over the past 3 years from IR, always attentive and straight forward, never rude, they give me the impression of being concerned about shareholders.
Storm...thanks for sharing this!
Will do.
I noticed that they just talked recently about rolling out FixFlix as a scaled down version of AppFlix. However, if you may have noticed in today's blog, MRNJ says it has employed expert legal counsel now for the Objection by CBS/Showtime to MRNJ's Trademark for AppFlix, so that legal advice may have changed their tune to some degree, which may explain why they have shifted back to a general mega-movie app with a legal nod to support them, and with another tradename that is at least( for the interim before the Trademark tribunal commences)an alternative to AppFlix. Just my guess on the matter.
www.uspto.gov/trademarks...checked it out, looks like the extension of time for objection on the trademark is for 2 months. CBS filed it 10 days after it was posted in the Gazette roster at a cost of $150. Both sides can submit materials for up to 15 days, but it appears just one submittal per side. Then, a tribunal at the USPTO will rule on it. Of course, today's blog seems to suggest that they are trying to resolve it directly, if I take that correctly. Who knows the outcome? I would like to see them wait for the tribunal results.
Colectin...so sorry to hear your mom died. Oddly, mine died 15 years ago on Jan. 18th. Have a safe 14 hour drive.
You present your point of view as though the Trademark registration is secondary to the Objection, it is the other way around. The objection comes AFTER the Granting of an Application and that results in a case being presented by the objecting party. I am sure that MRNJ will get the opportunity to defend its right to the name, for example, any paper or email trails to ascertain when the first time occurred that the MRNJ crew conceived the idea, for example. Because CBS uses a similar name does not give them the right to trump a new Trademark registration, they can object and present the basis of a case and the Trademark Office will decide the outcome. I am not sure if there have been direct communications between CBS and MRNJ or not. Trademarks and filing fees are not free, to get another name they would have to refile and undergo reseaching the name, which was done before remember, seemingly no problem earlier, it's not like they can pick a different alternate color and its all done.
Given that it is a matter that the trademark office will resolve, it will be on a standardized timeline and most likely NOT subject to a civil court ruling.
MRNJ WAS granted a trademark for Appflix you say "not" because it is in opposition, yet the granting of the trademark still stands until it is struck down/rescinded. So the claim that they were not granted a trademark is false and misleading.
Conradicting yourself...you say that MRNJ did not have the wherewithall to get a trademark on Appflix and in the next breath say that the CEO filed for one for himself.
Cheche, do you realize that the strength of a patent or trademark can be worth FAR more in a legal challenge than often a product it protects ends up being worth in the market? If you work for a $6 billion company you probably already know something about this sort of possibility, I'm sure. I have heard of amazing results... Google "patent infringement case settlements" if you want to read more and find out what sorts of things transpire.
Cheche, that will be dependent on how motivated CBS is in negotiating a settlement. Taking away a granted trademark just isn't going to happen, they know it, this is a bluff on a big scale, in my opinion. They WANT the name and will come up with a deal. If they are really motivated, they will come up with a fair arrangement in a timely manner. If they bluster and try to intimidate MRNJ that will take time but can also end up with very bad press for CBS. This story needs to go viral.
Someone should contact the other media networks and inform them of this trademark challenge so it can get a lot of press and recognition for MRNJ. If CBS want something that MRNJ has that will look very favorably by a LOT of people, that is, MRNJ is a clever, creative company = take a second look guys!
MRNJ is in the driver's seat if it was GRANTED to the already. Most likely CBS wants to grab it, this is a legal maneuver by an entity hungry for a clever name for a product they may have in mind. They will have to pay a royalty and maybe work out a deal that helps MRNJ in the end. It will NOT have a negative result for MRNJ, can only be a positive ending.
CBS is big but NOT bigger than the protection of intellectural property rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. My family company had its trademarked name challenged not once but twice and in one case the copier had to STOP using our trademarked name and in the other case, we have been getting royalties to allow them to use our name, both worked out in arbitration. Patent/trademark specialist lawyers handle these matters. What one must ask is "why Johnny-come-lately with CBS/Shotime?" The case will be contingent on that question. Why didn't they file if they thought it was their idea? They can certainly afford it and I am sure there is a great breadth of legal work on trademarks they have submitted before, makes it look like they were not on top of it or perhaps they scanned the new trademarks after it was issued to MRNJ and decided they wanted it, so have challenged it. Might work out that MRNJ gets a royalty. Might work out that CBS gives MRNJ some business, too, these things have a way of surprising everyone. Stay tuned...like I said yesterday.
Cheche opened up last evening and shared his hopes for MRNJ. I was happy to see that he has promoted MRNJ and he stated that he has mentioned the financing/content deals as a reason to consider investing to prospective investors who have privately IM'ed him, etc. I understand that he is frustrated. He is not the only one with millions of shares. I've been frustrated with MRNJ at times, but have to keep in mind that we are at a great disadvantage when it comes to second-guessing the management's reasons for whatever is the topic of the day, which auto-post happened to be yesterday, apparently. Again, I cannot emphasize enough that contacting IR with questions is a very helpful effort to make. IR virtually always answers my queries, regardless if they have a positive or negative bent. Venting is understandable from time to time, especially these times with a recession that won't quit, however, fair is fair, and credit has to be given when it is earned. I hope everyone will give auto-post more time before formulating a concrete position. I firmly believe that management will have some encouraging things to say about auto-post before long. I believe I am correct in saying that auto-post was vigorously tested before it was patent applied for, that would only make sense. There is an unknown but important reason that it is not being addressed at this time, that is my opinion.
StormKing - I was pretty badgered last evening, thought I would be due a reprimand by you instead of support. I am not afraid to defend my position and obviously have a stance worth fighting for, as you took notice. Thank you.
I especially appreciate that you culled out the part of my message about not giving up in sending off ideas to IR and that it is VERY important for founding shareholders to do this sort of interaction with a fledging company. Surely everyone here is now beyond the point of suspecting that MRNJ is a fly-by-night company...it has now evolved to the point of a sustainable entity, and as such, it is increasingly more important for shareholders to think long-term and participate in the growth by sharing their ideas on improvements and suggestions on clients, etc. Again, I appreciate that you emphasized this to the discussion group.
Dreamonjon
I plan to exercise more patience with regard to auto-post, like I stated before, it is my opinion that auto-post has more potential than has been realized at this point. I do not know why it is not being touted by management, there could be any number of reasons that might explain it, however, I remain steadfastly certain that whatever the reason, there is a smart objective behind it, just my opinion. Everyone has to decide for himself how patient he is and respond accordingly. Good luck.
Those are good things to tell a prospective investor, and I would say similar things myself, were I asked. I am very pleased that you have some positive things to say. LIKE YOURSELF, I would very much like to see more investors but not only to help supprot the here and now pps but also because more ideas would get tossed around the discussion board and sent off in emails to IR, it can have a very good synergism. So, we agree that MORE investors would be VERY beneficial, and not just for raising pps, for floating ideas, a less obvious but longer-term positive outcome. Do you realize how much McDonald's profited in its early days by taking seriously the feedback from its early franchisees? Many of their top products were invented by mom & pop owner-operators. It is VERY important for a starting company to get input from shareholders and clients, exceedingly important. Again, I encourage you NOT to withold any good suggestions you can forward onto IR. Even if they only employ 1 in 10 of your suggestions, that is better than none, and the one they use may be a really important one. As a shareholder please keep that in mind, it is your company too.
No, I'm NOT kidding you, I don't have time for kidding, for one thing. I find it odd that they never took any of your ideas to heart. I have emailed them repeatedly for well over 2 years and shared a wide range of ideas with them. They have responded both positively and negatively, which seems normal to me; I cannot realistically assume that all my ideas would pan out, I cannot always assume that my thinking is in alignment with theirs or anyone's, even two very informed parties can disagree about the obvious at times. In one case, I have a friend living in Shanghai, they were interested in his perception of what motivates the consumer in China. I emailed my friend in Shanghai and forwarded his comments to IR and they responded that it really helped them, all related to the Chinese version of GH's RSW app. That is one of many examples. I wish that you would not entrench yourself in the position that the company will NOT listen to you, especially if you really believe that you have suggestions that will help the company. You have a LOT of energy, please try and help the company with it. I think that you can be a very positive contributor to the success of this little company if you truly keep trying.
You claim that you "try to get them to invest in this company", that is new investors that IM you privately on this message board with queries. Please share with the rest of us exactly what you tell these prospective investors that fails to persuade them to invest in MRNJ? Would love to know what good things you are saying in your argument to persuade new buyers in MRNJ.
You rail on and on about the lack of investors and the high number of outstanding shares and also suggest that new investors come to you and say that they think its a good company but these factors turn them off. I guess we can all assume what you tell them, since evidently your very argument is that they DO NOT become investors, ultimately. Do you have any creative ideas? Just to say that the company needs to promote more is very vague and non-specific. Have you ever written to IR with any ideas?
Well, we agree on the pps being a good entry point, anyway.
The discussion about the stock price is really a conundrum. Many people claim it is manipulated by trading factions that are clandestined in nature and are able to swap shares back and forth with covert "micro-selling" signals to one another. Many other people claim that the company is to blame for the pps, that it is naive about how to market itself and promote. Yet, that seems inconsistent with its ability to find new clients, such as Gary Zukav,which will boost revenues when his material is apped. There may be some manipulation going on, and there may be some attempts at it or in the past. In business, when a company can attain revenues of $1,000,000 annually they will be given greater notice. It is not a fast route but eventually it gets noticed, especially if sustained and increased upon annually. The company is creeping in that direction. It is better than the scenario that it is NOT improving, which can always happen in business. It is a good practice to have patience with an investment.
You work so tirelessly at misunderstanding...can't you see that the intention is that auto-post WILL promote the company and can be sold to others? they made it clear lst week that their revenue is already up as a direct result of using auto-post...why do you persist in deriding that reality? You are very impatient and yet you have been here for 3 years, a VERY STRANGE combination. Do you honestly, really think that you have complete understanding of what auto-post will accomplish? You don't want to understand it because you want to negate its potential so that you can keep you endless drumbeating out negative signals to the god of universal deception. If you have such impressive insights then why don't you offer something creative to consider, rather than endless ways to devise criticisms? The day you say anything other than "the pps is..." or "revenues don't matter" I will be shocked. You did not answer my challenge to think of anything creative, so I guess you don't have anything creative to add. I don't consider constant criticism to be a form of creativity but maybe you do? Have you ever run a business? Things DO NOT happen overnight. it takes time to roll out a new concept and market it. A month is not much time when it comes to innovation.
In a blog last week the company said that auto-post is responsible for the recent surge in revenues, indicating its contribution to the record string of $3,000 dollare revenue days last week. Maybe some think that is "not anything" but seems like a good start in my opinion.
IR answered my email, "auto-post is in the field and its working".
It is a contradiction to blame lack of investors on the pipeline technological advances when you are constantly saying that the problem is not the technology or product but is the result of lack of the company's promotion, which is EXACTLY why I posed a question to you with reference to the blog that Storm retrieved to support my comments that you so quickly shot down.
So skillfully missed the point...it WAS blogged that auto-post could ALSO be used to for promoting the company.
Cheche - what do you imagine would be a smart manner to approach the promotion of the company? Actually, I had once gotten the impression from a blog that auto-post was going to be a tool that would allow the company to advertise itself, what do you think about that, aside from the "silence" about auto-post, I mean, thinking creatively, that is?
Colectin - hadn't thought of that angle, great thought!
I wrote IR about auto-post. Their reply said that it was "in the field and working" and that they would blog more about it. Is it perhaps a possibility that they are keeping a low profile on it because it is only patent-pending and they want to keep a low profile for a while? Too, maybe for some unknown reason, one of the deals in the works has been impacted by auto-post. It is probably not the case, but there is always more going on than meets the eye.
Good reminder! I think that management was prudent in waiting until it was clear( 3 consecutive $3,000 days of sales) that revenues could run the company before making the decision to extend the moratorium on R/S and issuance of more OS/dilution. I think that it was good PR to acknowledge that it was done in part because of faithful shareholders, clients, etc. Moreover, taking into consideration the reminder that you provided today that essentially, "all deals and projects are still on the table and moving forward unless otherwise mentioned" it suggests to me that "something" has moved a bit in the right direction, because that presumption supports the notion of not needing to consider a quick cash infusion via dilution. Predicting sales is not an absolute. I think that something positive is closer to happening, that is the take home message for me. Additionally, the Gary Zukav material is surely to be released this quarter, common sense would suggest that it will increase general sales to a observable degree, ie, one that can be seen/charted in Q2.
Keep in mind, that today's blog did slip in the little tidbit that autopost is responsible for the 3 record revenue days in a row...presumably it is synergistic to the momentum of the mega apps.
It makes sense that revenue increases allow the extension of the moratorium on R/S and increasing O/S. Moreover, it underscores the importance of record sales days. Plus, there is mention that autopost is responsible for the last 3 record sales days, so that is feedback that has been eagerly awaited, too.
It is worth keeping in mind that the existing client base is more likely than not to produce NEW material, ie, new books, new lessons, new theories, etc...which might create a great amount of new sales when new materials are released and promoted heavily.
I think it is less likely MRNJ will, as you say "fail hard" unless management makes a sensational business blunder...based on the past 3 years of observing their business management, I do not foresee that happening. In fact, it seems overly cautious due to the continuing increase in sales. With additional apps from clients, (hope that the Gary Zukav app happens pretty soon), revenues are destined to increase further. As long as long-term shareholders keep their expectations realistic and paced with the company's progress then there should be shareholder satisfaction. I think, too, there is always room for positive surprises.
Companies DO NOT tout there failers, much like people. At the racetrack or the casino you will hear all about the "big payout" but will not hear much bragging about the losses. MRNJ is much more forthcoming than most businesses, far more than mine. Who wants to show his hand in public, just NOT wise. ALL businesses put out a lot of potential deals and many fall through but in the long run the outcome of the sum total efforts is what counts. Also, words to the wise in business, "it's far better to be part of the answer than the problem".
Excellent progress, material evidence of MRNJ's real, and steady building of the business. So many have been talking about this threshold for a while now. Seems they could lay off the criticisms of "other projects, etc." for a few minutes, ha!
Record sales days are very important because they relate to cash dflow, which will allow the company to extend the moratorium on a Reverse Split or issuing more shares.
"Where there is smoke there is fire." If anyone takes the time to go back to August and look around mid-August, as I recall, the company blogging indicated then that MRNJ would probably extend the moratorium on R/S and increase in share structure for the foreseeable future...making the statement contingent on having enough revenues to run the company. Seems to me that all the very recent blogging about record revenues should mean that the moratorium is going to be inevitably extended. If not, I cannot see around a credibility loss with future blogging. I have faith that the company will soon announce the intention to extend the moratorium. I believe that management at MRNJ is sincere about increasing long-term shareholder value, as they have so often blogged is one of their goals, along with the blogs that have extended management's appreciation for the "long-term visionary shareholders."