Pop Toys figure threads that have been deleted

[Darklord Dave]

Just to address this so they don't pop back up again. As most of you know - unlicensed items are part of the 1/6 world. If they are for licenses not held by another company we've been pretty accepting of it - as it is part of the hobby.

However what we won't support is a bootleg manufacturer that produces an inferior knockoff of an existing and available licensed figure. And I consider acknowledging it's existence as "support."

You can comment below about this policy, but pictures or links about such items will be deleted.

 

[robbiethepainter]

Agreed.

 

[Captain Britain]

Thanks Dave.

 

[MoMo]

I don't remember there being a licensed figure of Dredd and that thread was closed. That "knock-off" was actually anything but inferior.

If there was officially licensed version please point me in its direction.

 

[karamazov80]

I don't remember there being a licensed figure of Dredd and that thread was closed. That "knock-off" was actually anything but inferior.

If there was officially licensed version please point me in its direction.

Threads may also be closed if a license holder cracks down, irrespective of other considerations.

 

[MoMo]

Threads may also be closed if a license holder cracks down, irrespective of other considerations.

Ah, gotcha. Hopefully they (AD2000?) sees the market and gets something officially licensed out.

 

[Travis Baumann]

Ah, gotcha. Hopefully they (AD2000?) sees the market and gets something officially licensed out.

2000 AD are an awesome company full of properties I love and would love to see in 1/6th form. That being said, when I went to SDCC one year I was wearing my Anthrax shirt with Judge Death on it (Anthrax is a thrash metal band by the way, I thought this was common knowledge but it seems whenever I wear one of my shirts out someone asks me why I am promoting it).

The 2000 AD rep looked at the shirt and asked if that was a new shirt (It was from their tour in 2013). He said they got the license and can make anything they want with it. So maybe we should all petition Scott Ian of Anthrax to have some Judge Dredd characters made.

 

[MoMo]

2000 AD are an awesome company full of properties I love and would love to see in 1/6th form. That being said, when I went to SDCC one year I was wearing my Anthrax shirt with Judge Death on it (Anthrax is a thrash metal band by the way, I thought this was common knowledge but it seems whenever I wear one of my shirts out someone asks me why I am promoting it).

The 2000 AD rep looked at the shirt and asked if that was a new shirt (It was from their tour in 2013). He said they got the license and can make anything they want with it. So maybe we should all petition Scott Ian of Anthrax to have some Judge Dredd characters made.

Scott Ian is hiding all of the licenses in his beard.

 

[Captain Britain]

I found it pretty distasteful that this should hit now, the day before the official license holder has a pre-order going live for something from this franchise. I find it quite easy to put myself in their shoes and ask myself how I'd feel if I had invested large amounts of time and money in this license then found some rip-off merchant syphoning off my sales. Also, they've paid money to secure the license and part of that is ensuring that the workers making these figures have decent working conditions. You're not getting that with a knock-off item.

 

[Darklord Dave]

Yes, most things that get censored are the result of cease & desist letters form the owners of the intellectual property. In this case the forum was preemptive in removing it, although I have a feeling a letter will be forthcoming.

 

[Lee in MI]

I'm out.

 

[SwedishHeat]

I suggest changing the rule/guideline to this

However what we won't support is a manufacturer that produces a product based on an existing and available licensed figure. And I consider acknowledging it's existence as "support."

Taking out the inflammatory "opinion" based terminology makes it more objective, and it takes away people's ability to argue about what a bootleg or knockoff is. It's just a simple "If it's based on an active license in 1/6, it's not allowed".

 

[Darklord Dave]

I suggest changing the rule/guideline to this



Taking out the inflammatory "opinion" based terminology makes it more objective, and it takes away people's ability to argue about what a bootleg or knockoff is. It's just a simple "If it's based on an active license in 1/6, it's not allowed".

Yes, that's correct. I just wanted to hit the point home (it also saves me from accusations of hypocrisy because I allowed talk of a mass custom to continue, but the custom was sanctioned by the licensee).

 

[Lee in MI]

Double post

 

[**16k**]

That was expected...

Yet, turning a blind eye won't make them disappear! They're already all over the Internet and will likely be sold at most retailers. But I get the why it was done.

EDIT: btw, I really have an innocent question and am not trying to pick a fight or any thing. It's just genuine ignorance. I understand the all cease and desist thing, but how come it applies to a forum? I mean, to a manufacturer, or a seller, yes, I understand, but to a forum? You don't retail anything, you don't even have stakes in it, you're just informing people! So how valid is a cease and desist in that case?

 

[Captain Britain]

I think that's a really good question 16k, and in my opinion the answer is that discussing it on this forum effectively advertises the knock-off product and the holder of the official licence has their business damaged through no fault of their own. On the other hand Dave has allowed discussion of his decision on this privately owned forum so I don't see any big freedom of speech issue here.

Also, don't underestimate the chilling effect of a cease and desist letter! Years ago me and a group of friends registered a name for a Star Wars fan site, but it was a half-assed project that we promptly forgot about. Then two months later I got a very threatening letter from Lucasfilm's London lawyers talking about infringement, costs, damages... I couldn't hand it over quick enough (Lfl actually bought it from me for what I paid with a cheque that had Yoda on it, which I still have somewhere). So I can well understand why you'd want to avoid this kind of unnecessary hassle.

 

[Darklord Dave]

That was expected...

Yet, turning a blind eye won't make them disappear! They're already all over the Internet and will likely be sold at most retailers. But I get the why it was done.

EDIT: btw, I really have an innocent question and am not trying to pick a fight or any thing. It's just genuine ignorance. I understand the all cease and desist thing, but how come it applies to a forum? I mean, to a manufacturer, or a seller, yes, I understand, but to a forum? You don't retail anything, you don't even have stakes in it, you're just informing people! So how valid is a cease and desist in that case?

Excellent question actually, and one I have researched exhaustively. Any photos of a product that infringes on a intellectual property copyright is, in itself, an infringement of that copyright. So by allowing the photos to remain on the forum after being sent a C&D from a studio, the forum is just as guilty of the infringement as the bootlegger.

DMCA - Digital Millennium Copyright Act

 

[**16k**]

That's interesting. Didn't know that! Man, with all the boards, blogs, shops, the lawyers must have a lot on their plate. Though I suppose that having a forum that bears the name Sideshow on its homepage must make it an easy target. I wonder how many sites get a C&D. Apparently, for the time being, major online retailers are still carrying it. Let's wait and see...

 

[Gruff Old Bear]

I'm glad those threads are gone. I was very disappointed to see Pop Toys go in this direction. They're the best mass-production clothing makers in the hobby. They should have sent their outfit to Big Chief and tried for a partnership. They could add value. Instead, they stole. They've damaged their own brand by aligning themselves with rip-offs. Very sad.

 

[Raymond F.]

Haven't they always been doing this though? All of their stuff is based off of the marvel movies