Regarding the Knight Rider Companion - PLEASE READ

[Joe Huth]

Before I begin, let me start off by saying that most of you have known me on the boards for quite a long time - in some cases (like on Knight Rider Online), over 10 years. You all know that I am not one to cause conflict or controversy and that I only post because of my love of the show. However, in this instance, I feel that it is important for you all to know the truth about Nick Nugent's "Knight Rider Companion". To say it borrows information from "Knight Rider Legacy" is an understatement. Yes, the pictures (excluding the screenshots from the episodes) are wonderfully reproduced and some have never been seen by most. The graphics are terrific. Much better than any photo in "Legacy". I have no problem with that - the problem I do have is with the content itself. There are a few new interviews, however, the MAJORITY of the text in this book is taken directly from "Legacy". I can't even tell you one new thing I read in "Companion" off the top of my head. To quote Jennifer Knight, "a picture is worth a thousand words" (mind you, these are only a few examples):

KITT Function Guide
-------------------

Companion:



Legacy:



Also of note on the KITT function guide - this was a document I created way back in 1997 for my Knight Rider Universe website. When I did "Legacy", I updated it a little bit, but the original can be seen in this post:

viewtopic.php?f=1046&t=12749&p=150970&h ... de#p150970

"Goliath" Trivia and Notes
--------------------------

Companion:



Legacy:



What's funny about this one is that I made a mistake in "Legacy" that appears in "Companion"! See the one bullet above about "Valley of Fire"? I wrote, by accident, that it was a dry lake bed outside Las Vegas...however it's not a dry lake bed, but a state park with huge red rocks everywhere!

Q&A with Michael Scheffe
------------------------

Companion:



Legacy:



Q&A with Jack Gill
------------------

Companion:



Legacy:



Pilot Trivia and Notes
----------------------

Companion:



Legacy:



William Daniels Q&A
-------------------

Companion:



Legacy:



Patricia McPherson Q&A
----------------------

Companion:



Legacy:



Jack Gill
---------

Companion:



Legacy:



Robert Ginty
------------



It's interesting that this shows up. I solely interviewed Robert for "Legacy". I remember well because I had a left a message with him and he called back at 1AM my time for the interview, and I was completely unprepared because I was sleeping.

Pilot Presentation
------------------


This breakdown of Pilot Presentation scenes was NOT in "Legacy", however I remember Paul from the Knight Rider Archive posting this on the boards at one point I believe.

And, to top this all off, my book is falling apart:



When I got to the back of the book, I noticed something interesting:



Interviews not conducted by Nick were used under license from Richie? Interesting, considering those interviews are not solely his possession. Yes, he set most of them up, however I was involved in EVERY interview except McPhersons. As was one other person who deserves credit.

And while we're laying all the cards on the table, you all should know that I was given the opportunity to re-make "Knight Rider Legacy" last year, with Richie co-authoring again and Nick doing the graphics. I backed out after some disagreements with Richie and Nick, but they still used material from "Legacy" anyways. In fact, here's the cover Nick designed back then:



Backing out of that deal was one decision I do not regret to this day.

Please note that the above are only a FRACTION of the examples I could show you. To show you all, I would have to take comparison pictures of nearly every page of both books.

If you all want to buy his book after reading this, that's your decision. It's only fair that you all know the truth before spending $50 or more of your hard earned money on it.

I look forward to Nick's long and highly italicized response.

Joe

[Alex]

Patricia, my God ..! Thanks, Joe!

Alex.

[Victor Kros]

I will respond to this shortly. This unprovoked response by Joe is both cowardly and petty and I will address each issue in due time.

=VK=

[Sue]

I realize now that what I said in chat must have been passed around. I'd just like to clarify that in no way did I mean to start trouble. I was under the impression that all legal issues were previously dealt with. My question was asked to determine if there would still be a reason to buy Legacy or if all the content is now in this new book. I truly apologize to everyone and submit the following publicly, as I'm sure you will all get a copy of it privately.

(15:18:15) Sue: we were wondering if joes stuff was in it or not
(15:18:22) Sue: ah matt
(15:18:34) Q..: There are multiple conversations going on here. Let's all get on one topic of discussion.
(15:18:46) Matthew: Well Q, my style is to let you guys decide on a whim, so have at it.
(15:18:53) Sue: sorry q chat can be chaotic
(15:19:03) weeezl: ok then Crane technique, lets discuss that?
(15:19:11) Victor_Kros: the only part of KRC that has any reference to Legacy is part of Glen's foreword because he insisted on reprinting it as a basis for his new one and most of th Q&A with the cast. Most of the crew Q&A is new material.
(15:19:33) Matthew: Well, looks like there are questions regarding the companion, so lets focus on that for a few mins to make it easier.
(15:19:42) Q..: It would make more sense if this chatroom had a history of the entire chat so that I can read it and know what is being discussed.
(15:19:42) Victor_Kros: Legacy also doesn't have over 600 images, tv guide ads, logo guide, autograph guide
(15:19:42) honnziva: got ya
(15:20:00) Victor_Kros: intro with foster, preface with Tom Greene
(15:20:01) Sue: oh okay.. i dint think it had joes stuff
(15:20:15) Victor_Kros: it doesn't have Joe's stuff
(15:20:44) Q..: What does any of this have to do with Knight Rider?
(15:20:44) honnziva: jesus it had to take you forever man
(15:20:48) honnziva: Q...
(15:20:52) honnziva: victor wrote
(15:21:00) Victor_Kros: any material referenced from Legacy came from Richie's half of the book or the stars themselves
(15:21:08) honnziva: this book... its called the Knight Rider Companion.. and we're tyring to discuss alot of the content
(15:21:09) Victor_Kros: I made very sure not to use any of Huth's material
(15:21:30) Q..: I am not familiar with what you are talking about.
(15:21:47) Sue: thats what i was thinking... cause i was reading that back and didnt see him listed

[Victor Kros]

Thank you Sue that was most helpful. I am in the process of posting my response to Mr. Huth and his accusations. I ask the mods to please do not lock this thread as my response will discredit many of these accusations made against me that as Joe stated on another board, "The public has a right to know."

I ask anyone who is tempted to respond to this thread to give me the courtesy to wait until I have posted what I have to say in my defense instead of jumping off conclusions that are not grounded upon fact. There are two sides to every story and you will hear mine shortly.

Thank you.

=VK=

[Rockatteer]

If there are genuine concerns about copyright, shouldn't they be taken up with a lawyer who can actually do something about it?

Rather than just venting about it on here?

[Skav]

Well, I will be holding off my purchase until I see what Nick has to say, as pictures are worth a thousand words, as Joe said. Since I am an international customer it would work out even more expensive for me and I'm not sure if it would be worth it, especially now as it would just become a "picture book".

However, it will be interesting in hearing Nick's reply.

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that it was not cowardly of Joe to address the public about this. We have a right to know what we are getting for our money.

I already have the Legacy book and I was greatly anticipating the purchase of the Companion but this has left a sour taste in my mouth.

I'm shocked to be honest.

[daroga]

Sad to see this is being handled as poorly here as it is at Knight Registries. Why wouldn't you contact Nick (VK) first to try to rectify this before lambasting him and his work in every channel you could find on the Internet?

[Matthew]

I think it's fair to say that Joe feels wronged by this situation, and has chosen to do this publicly in an effort to ensure that everyone is made aware of the risk that they may be purchasing a sizable amount of content that they've already had in their possession for several years now.

Matt

[DeeKnight]

Here we go!

[chrisjones]

Dear oh dear.
What a mess....... can't say I didn't see this one coming.

Fighters ready!? ROUND TWO!

[Rockatteer]

Sad to see this is being handled as poorly here as it is at Knight Registries. Why wouldn't you contact Nick (VK) first to try to rectify this before lambasting him and his work in every channel you could find on the Internet?

Yeah it really isn't a very constructive coarse of action.

Victor Kros will come back with his defense against the allegations and then everyone will take sides and this will turn into a slugging match.

I can see that making the public aware of the similarities makes sense. And if the majority of the new book is the same as the old book, then that too is usefull information for the public. But copyright issues really should be dealt with through a court, not a public slugging match, which is where this will indubitably end up.

[Michael Pajaro]

I am a strong believer in self-fulfilling prophecies. Rather than everyone pulling up seats to enjoy a fight, why not hope that there can be a productive discussion instead?

And we should not assume that lawyers are going to be involved. Joe has made no mention of any legal action. If he chooses to do so then there would probably be some things that should not be discussed publicly. But the content of Knight Rider Legacy is available to the public. The content of Knight Rider Companion is available to the public.

We - ALL OF US - can choose to escalate a potentially tense situation, or we can work to diffuse it. That doesn't mean we ignore conflict. We simply must choose how we react to it.

[weeezl]

Oh boy...........

[Joe Huth]

Hey guys, thanks to those who have supported me today. This was not an easy decision. I want it publicly known that at this time, I have NO intentions of taking any legal actions. I simply wanted everyone to know about his book before shelling out $50 or more of your hard earned money on it. I will most likely be countering Nick's reply, however this WILL not turn into a slugging match and if there's even a hint of that, I will ask the mods to lock the thread.

I have a busy few days ahead so you may not see my response until tomorrow afternoon/evening.

Thanks,
Joe

[CJaguar442]

Nick you have my support I own your book and loved it. Give Nick a chance to defend himself and buy his book you won’t be disappointed.

[chrisjones]

I will respond to this shortly. This unprovoked response by Joe is both cowardly and petty and I will address each issue in due time.

=VK=

I fail to see how it is either

A. Cowardly

Or

B. Petty

Its a guy trying to protect his work... simple.

[Rockatteer]

Nick you have my support I own your book and loved it. Give Nick a chance to defend himself and buy his book you won’t be disappointed.

Unless, apparently, you already own the Legacy book, in which case you might be.

And yes I would agree that standing up and making your accusations in public is hardly the act of a coward. Nor is claiming your work to have been copied petty.

[CJaguar442]

I own both Knight Rider Legacy and Knight Rider Companion they are both a good read!!!
I do not know why we battle we are all love Knight Rider. Let Nick defend himself when he is ready.

[Mike Knight]

All I know is, Joe's nice. VK quite frequently, acts like a dick. And yes, I've seen it with my own eyes, been around long enough to have.

That says it all, I think. No offense to anyone intended, but y'know, with the way VK has acted toward people in the past (very hot headed and rude), it would not surprise me to learn that he would be involved with something that rips someone off, and then deny it.

Again, not saying that he HAS, but just based on personalities and the evidence presented, I don't find it hard to believe, at all.

But still, I agree that the fighting needs to stop. First the wars over the new show, and now this. Christ, this fanbase is almost for-the-birds.

[Michael Pajaro]

VK quite frequently, acts like a dick....
I agree that the fighting needs to stop.

Yes, the fighting does need to stop. And it can stop right here. Name-calling and insulting people is not helping.

[MikeBKnight]

I own both Knight Rider Legacy and Knight Rider Companion they are both a good read!!!
I do not know why we battle we are all love Knight Rider. Let Nick defend himself when he is ready.

X2 I agree. I agree what VK has said, "There is two sides to every story". So, let's wait to hear what Nick has to say.

[Showpro1]

If this is such a real problem quit wasting our time and whine on Judge Judy's shoulder.

[Matthew]

Dave,

Comments like yours are completely unnecessary. This is an issue that directly affects the consumer marketplace, and as such, is in need of constructive dialog.

Matt

[Mike Knight]

VK quite frequently, acts like a dick....
I agree that the fighting needs to stop.

Yes, the fighting does need to stop. And it can stop right here. Name-calling and insulting people is not helping.

Well, I did say "acts like a dick. I didn't call him one. j/k!