Beware the Recaster(s)

[csi]

I've been following this thread for what seems like a week and I don't know why I'm finally chipping in because everyone's mind is already made up about what they believe or don't believe. .

I am all for owning cool replicas of my favourite TV and movie characters and there is some awesome talent on this board so I am not coming down as anti-sculptor in any way.

But to those who believe that a sculptor has a right to sculpt a copy of anyone or anything he wants and sell an infinite number of copies only has to remember the massive number of threads that got yanked in the last month when the actual owner of a property steps in and says, "You can't sell that. It's mine."

I think we can all agree that letting someone else do all the work-research, sculpt, market a property-and then reproducing that work with no connection to the original sculptor to line your own pockets is bad, very bad.

But the sculptors are in a morally grey area themselves. This isn't a TV western where you can tell if a guy is a good guy or bad by the colour of his hat.

The internet and advances in technology has brought the world together in a way unheard of even 20 years ago. It has made sharing things (movies, music, art, literature, head sculpts) with someone across the globe faster and easier than ever before.

It has also brought with it more ethical dilemmas than ever before. We have to make the decision that works for us, that allows us to sleep at night.

I'm marketing and selling a product right now that would be relatively easy to recast and remarket. Don't think I haven't thought about some scumbag getting ahold of one and making money off my, and my partner's, hard work.

But at the end of the day, that's the risk you take if you want to make something cool and desirable.

This pretty much sums up how I feel on the subject.

 

[pixletwin]

actually fact I'm afraid

You're right. It's your opinion that it's a fact. Glad to see you evolve. You are know level two!

 

[LipSmack]

You're right. It's your opinion that it's a fact. Glad to see you evolve. You are know level two!

ok so a scultor like trevor or any others can go to ebay and complain about Q? try it

 

[pixletwin]

Dammit LipSmack.

You are now demoted back to Know Level One.

 

[LipSmack]

Dammit LipSmack.

You are now demoted back to Know Level One.

youre confusing as hell man, I gotta give you that

 

[thenammagazine]

I think the point is this. Yes, it's stealing to take a likeness and sculpt it into 2+ heads and sell them. But the time and artistry involved garners a serious amount of respect. The recaster is stealing twice. Not only are they stealing the likeness as well, but they're stealing the soul of the project away from it, robbing the artist of his time and effort and his customers of the piece's "authenticity." There's no artistry and very little effort involved in recasting and any idiot who can read instructions for molding can do it. That's why they're loathed.

 

[Ajkhunter]

I think the point is this. Yes, it's stealing to take a likeness and sculpt it into 2+ heads and sell them. But the time and artistry involved garners a serious amount of respect. The recaster is stealing twice. Not only are they stealing the likeness as well, but they're stealing the soul of the project away from it, robbing the artist of his time and effort and his customers of the piece's "authenticity." There's no artistry and very little effort involved in recasting and any idiot who can read instructions for molding can do it. That's why they're loathed.

Well said

 

[pixletwin]

*LipSmack your table at The Broken Record is ready. Please check in.*

 

[thenammagazine]

*LipSmack your table at The Broken Record is ready. Please check in.*

You put a dog bowl on the floor by the restrooms?! That's not very nice.

 

[karamazov80]

I think the point is this. Yes, it's stealing to take a likeness and sculpt it into 2+ heads and sell them. But the time and artistry involved garners a serious amount of respect. The recaster is stealing twice. Not only are they stealing the likeness as well, but they're stealing the soul of the project away from it, robbing the artist of his time and effort and his customers of the piece's "authenticity." There's no artistry and very little effort involved in recasting and any idiot who can read instructions for molding can do it. That's why they're loathed.

Wait, I thought recasting was no better or worse than illegally capitalizing on a sculpt of a character's likeness, correct? And saying anything else is hypocrisy?

 

[thenammagazine]

Wait, I thought recasting was no better or worse than illegally capitalizing on a sculpt of a character's likeness, correct? And saying anything else is hypocrisy?

No, hypocricy is saying, "You can recast anything you want, except what my favorite artists produce." Kinda like what you were saying with Rainman's stuff. In your opinion, somehow his stuff is magically not okay to recast, but everybody else's is.

 

[Mr.E]

I think the point is this. Yes, it's stealing to take a likeness and sculpt it into 2+ heads and sell them. But the time and artistry involved garners a serious amount of respect. The recaster is stealing twice. Not only are they stealing the likeness as well, but they're stealing the soul of the project away from it, robbing the artist of his time and effort and his customers of the piece's "authenticity." There's no artistry and very little effort involved in recasting and any idiot who can read instructions for molding can do it. That's why they're loathed.

This is sexist!! What about the female sculptors?

 

[Mr. EcKo]

Yuli doesn't care , she gets paid the big bucks reguardless

 

[thenammagazine]

This is sexist!! What about the female sculptors?

Starpuffs?

 

[Kuzeh]

Wait, I thought recasting was no better or worse than illegally capitalizing on a sculpt of a character's likeness, correct? And saying anything else is hypocrisy?

What happened to the "stealing is stealing" plain and simple?...

 

[Mr.E]

Yuli doesn't care , she gets paid the big bucks reguardless

True that.

 

[karamazov80]

No, hypocricy is saying, "You can recast anything you want, except what my favorite artists produce." Kinda like what you were saying with Rainman's stuff. In your opinion, somehow his stuff is magically not okay to recast, but everybody else's is.

I'm sorry, when did I say it was OK to recast non-Rainman stuff? And my bad. I must have misinterpreted these posts:

Disagree. Both are clearly equally unethical. The recaster is stealing from the sculptor who stole from the owner of the intellectual property. There's no gay area there unless it's a one-off, which is legal, and the only piece I've seen like that even fits that category has been Rainman's David.

Hence why I just say except recasters as a necessary evil. Bringing both to light and putting one over the other as "more ethical" is shady and ignorant.

Sucks that so many of us are being "shady and ignorant" by disagreeing with Lipsmack. And best to just accept those durn recasters I reckon.

 

[thenammagazine]

Sucks that so many of us are being "shady and ignorant" by disagreeing with Lipsmack. And best to just accept those durn recasters I reckon.

I stand by that. There's no "gay" area.

 

[ebor]

https://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128367


Here is another thread we can debate, and post peoples names.

 

[Mr.E]

I don't see a way to prevent people from stealing other's work. I don't recommend it obviously, but I don't know of foreseeable way of controlling it.