[Mirikon]

To those in the know, the following words are enough to make your heart feel like a chunk of black slush: “Things have been kind of quiet in Renraku lately.”

As Cosmo said, the conspicuous lack of anything involving Renraku as more than a bit player has me a little worried. Mitsuhama, Saeder-Krupp, Evo, Horizon, Ares, NeoNET, and Aztechnology have all had serious screen time recently. Shiawase and Wuxing are the only others of the AAAs who haven't had some major goings on, but it is Renraku that has me wondering. At least Shiawase and Wuxing are getting embroiled in politics in Shiawase's case and exploiting the Quints in Wuxing's case. What have we heard from Renraku lately? Zilch. They didn't even play that big a role in the whole Technomancer/AI thing! All of which boils down to me getting very anxious about what is going on in Chiba...

[CitizenJoe]

You're looking at it through a microscope.  Renraku has done one of two things.  1) Keep the brand name out of the spotlight 2) Stay out of the shadow. 

Renraku got hit pretty hard with the SCIRE/ACHE fiasco and that is still hurting them in North America.  On the other hand, they have plenty of proprietary software that keeps the other corps coming back.  So rather than pushing the Renraku Subsidiary "X-co", they are pushing 'X-co"* _{(subsidiary of Renraku Computer Systems)}

There is so much focus on Renraku by government oversight, that they don't dare try anything shadow worthy.

[Sichr]

Yeah. Like Aztechnology for example...

[Mirikon]

Except Renraku, like all the megas, is extraterritorial. Government oversight doesn't apply.

[Angelone]

http://forums.shadowrun4.com/index.php?topic=6437.0

[Sichr]

Except Renraku, like all the megas, is extraterritorial. Government oversight doesn't apply.

exactly sir...

[CitizenJoe]

Read up on the requirements to be extraterritorial.

[Mirikon]

Yes, yes. There are steps to take to become extraterritorial. Once you get that, however,  you don't have to listen to government oversight any more on corporate property, Joe. And Renraku's been extraterritorial for a while. The only time a government can force people onto corporate property is in extraordinary circumstances, like a godlike AI taking over a building with a hundred thousand people in it that happens to be sitting on three nuclear reactors in the middle of a heavily populated city. If there isn't a crisis on that scale, extraterritorial corps don't even have to take the government's calls.

[Angelone]

I seem to recall something about pollution that spills onto the government's land, but don't remember from where. Regardless, the corps just can't willy-nilly despoil everything, there is some accountability. 

[CitizenJoe]

You need a long term lease for your facility to be eligible for the extraterritorial rights.  That facility also needs to be labeled as such and must have defined borders.  Activities cannot extend beyond those borders into public lands.  The government and more specifically New York City can set terms in such a way that Renraku isn't allowed a facility with extraterritorial status.  Considering the problems caused by Renraku in Seattle, I would be surprised if they were granted extraterritorial facilities anywhere in the UCAS.  All it takes is limited short term leases, subdividing the property and hooking up the facilities to public utilities.  As soon as one Renraku turd flows into the sewers, the government can go in.  It is easier and more profitable to simply have government oversight and simply bribe them.  But that means playing by the rules until their reputation is repaired.  Now they've still got their grip in the Japan, so there, business as usual.   It's just in UCAS where they are having problems.  I think CAS has an oversight thing too some acronym like ERLA or something.

[CanRay]

I seem to recall something about pollution that spills onto the government's land, but don't remember from where. Regardless, the corps just can't willy-nilly despoil everything, there is some accountability.

Eminent Domain.  Renraku Shutdown.

The UCAS moved in during the Dues Event in the SCIRE due to the Nukes in the basement (Power Plants rather than bombs, but nonetheless.).

I describe what happened to the SCIRE as the UCAS Armed Forces handing the Mega a Bill for getting rid of the AI. 

[Mirikon]

Renraku still has facilities in the UCAS, though not in Seattle right now (unless they've put something up in Redmond and didn't tell anyone). But what you're missing, Joe, is that Renraku isn't JUST in the UCAS. They practically own all of Chiba, and everyone there loves them, so they can do what they like. And there are lots of areas all over the world where they can put up a research station or other facility and not have any government oversight, even on what you're dumping out, either because it is in someplace that the government doesn't go (Barrens), or you've bought the government (MCT and Tsmshian, or Aztech and Aztlan), or you're just very far from anywhere (parts of CalFree, pretty much all of Africa, half of Asia, lots of islands in the Pacific, etc.). Renraku might be playing 'good corporate citizen' in the UCAS, but that doesn't mean they're playing nice everywhere else. They have facilities all over the globe, and in orbit. Better believe they're working on something. And the fact that we haven't heard word one about it means they're keeping things real quiet. Which is not a good thing.

[Angelone]

There hasn't been much on Renraku in what 10 or so years? The Arcology and Lanier incidents are big reasons. The corp seems to be one of the more conservative ones. They are just chugging along making money without trying to paint a bigger target upon their backs. As I said in the earlier thread they seem to be making a big push into the firearms market.

Not every corp is going to be big and flashy, Renraku seems like one of those. They have made mistakes in the past and seem to be hesitant to be too revolutionary to make another big blunder.   

[CanRay]

So far.   

[Sichr]

Renraku still has facilities in the UCAS, though not in Seattle right now (unless they've put something up in Redmond and didn't tell anyone). But what you're missing, Joe, is that Renraku isn't JUST in the UCAS. They practically own all of Chiba, and everyone there loves them, so they can do what they like. And there are lots of areas all over the world where they can put up a research station or other facility and not have any government oversight, even on what you're dumping out, either because it is in someplace that the government doesn't go (Barrens), or you've bought the government (MCT and Tsmshian, or Aztech and Aztlan), or you're just very far from anywhere (parts of CalFree, pretty much all of Africa, half of Asia, lots of islands in the Pacific, etc.). Renraku might be playing 'good corporate citizen' in the UCAS, but that doesn't mean they're playing nice everywhere else. They have facilities all over the globe, and in orbit. Better believe they're working on something. And the fact that we haven't heard word one about it means they're keeping things real quiet. Which is not a good thing.

Renraku also provides backbone Matrix lines for almost half of the Europe IMO