3 ms·
"I’m going to go ahead and call it: We’re a few months away from the first Kickstarter scam or controversy. There is too much money at stake and too little crit
by state_machine 14y ago
"I’m going to go ahead and call it: We’re a few months away from the first Kickstarter scam or controversy. There is too much money at stake and too little critical thinking at the moment, and that’s an inviting situation for people looking to make a quick buck."
- jiggy2011 14y agoYes, what's to stop someone posting: "Hey guys we need $100,000 to make $awesome_thing" then once/if you raise the money paying someone on eLance $300 to crank out some POS that technically ticks the boxes?
- driverdan 14y agoThere have already been failed projects (with controversy) and we'll continue to see this increase in line with the increase in volume of deals. I haven't heard of any outright scams but I'm sure they're either in progress or coming soon. (IANAL) I also expect to see lawsuits in the near future, possibly with government investigation into Kickstarter resulting in changes to required project terms. Very few projects have clear legalese defining what your money will be used for and any (or no) guarantees. I bet the percentage of people running projects that consult with an attorney beforehand is in the single digits. This will inevitably lead to legal issues. When you fund a project you're generally pre-purchasing. Pre-purchases are a legal obligation to the company. If they don't deliver they have to return your money. Very few people running projects realize this. Clearly stating no guarantees in the project description may get around this but then again, possibly not. If you're going to run a Kickstarter project speak with an attorney and make sure you have a solid business plan with all expenses calculated, including Kickstarter's cut and tax obligations.