New York Times on a failed Kickstarter

[Mechatrommer]

I don't understand why everyone has to come up with analogies about what kickstarter is or isn't.  Are people not sharp enough to understand the nuances of crowdfunding sites without simplistic analogies?
The closest and most correct analogy is a store.

now you are making an analogy, you dont understand yourself...

[Marco]

Oh, they updated it ...

I don't see why you say it has to be outright fraud though ... just because contract terms are highly subjective doesn't prevent them from being judged.

[Corporate666]

I don't understand why everyone has to come up with analogies about what kickstarter is or isn't.  Are people not sharp enough to understand the nuances of crowdfunding sites without simplistic analogies?
The closest and most correct analogy is a store.

now you are making an analogy, you dont understand yourself...

Thanks for telling us what an analogy is, professor, but you missed the point.

The point is that IF people wish to use analogies to contextualize KS, then the best analogy is a shop where one is pre-ordering.  An offer is made by the creator, and the pledge indicates acceptance.  Even KS's wording is carefully chosen... pledge != donation, and reward != gift.

[Corporate666]

Whether or not you ever receive the promised reward is immaterial to satisfying the obligation of a project creator to a backer.  Good luck with trying to take legal action if you never receive your reward. Unless outright fraud was involved you'd have no hope. KS has gone to great legal lengths to get out from the middle once they have extracted their cut. What would be the point of legal action against someone who spent all the money.

People have sued creators and won.  No "outright fraud" necessary.

And KS can write whatever they like on their T&C page - those T&C do not trump the law and do not eliminate the creator from being obliged to fulfill their commitments, even in the absence of "outright fraud".

[zerorisers]

It is a donation as you can put money in. if there is a reward they MIGHT deliver. (My personal opinion they should always deliver and have some actual date of when the project should be done, but I do accept the fact that many projects FAIL!)