Wocka-Wocka... He's at it again!

[spcglider]

I'm more partial to Gonzo's sweater vest, long-sleeve white shirt, and khaki pants than the purple tux Master Replicas is putting him in. If I really wanted to, could I have that person make me a legal custom tailored outfit for my Gonzo?

You could have anyone make a suit for your gonzo. I'd suggest that you find a person who makes clothing for large dolls instead of TheFabricator... a doll person will do a sweet sweet job on it and charge you much less.

There are plenty of doll groups on the net. Google (or *new!* BLACKLE) it up. You should find someone willing to do it. Or maybe even someone here on this forum?

-Gordon

 

[Toasty]

yes he/she is indeed persistant, apparentley cathcing a hint is not his or her strong suit

Persistant is an understatement with this unethical, law breaking dude. I do think that he not only "gets" the "hints" posed in well written posts on this forum and others, but that he is using ebay as cheap, worldwide advertising. It's not a stretch to imagine that people in the USA and elsewhere would contact him to purchase one of his Muppet knockoffs via email without even bidding on ebay. This way special payment deals could be struck and the buyer, probably knowing that THEY TOO are breaking the law by purchasing illegal goods, would feel like they were more protected from prosecution.

If someone from another country wants to buy one, all the better for Mr Muppet Counterfeiter here, since he can fly under the radar even more by shipping to countries that do not recognize US copyrights.

Ebay is just a big billboard and he'll keep coming back again and again until ebay finds a way to eliminate him from posting ANY auction with photos that feature the likeness of copyrighted entities. Without photos, his listings will be rather worthless and he'll then have to find a new avenue to advertise his illegal goods.

 

[spcglider]

The big thing with eBay is that they have absolutely NO fashion of reporting CHRONIC offenders. All you get is the little form that (more than likley) is nothing more than an automated robot to purge people that get reported. There doesn't seem to be any mechanism in place to REALLY ban sellers unless one of the companies that eBay has an agreement with specifically contacts them and insists that the offender be banned.

I understand why this is, but they don't have ANY way to actually talk to a real human being and state a case. I mean, if I was having my intellectual property stolen by someone on eBay, I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it unless I hired a lawyer. And most small business people (and I'm talking SMALL business... like "self employed") can't afford that kind of loosey goosey expenditure.

-G

 

[Jinx]

Gordon-

You are absolutely right. The company that I work for has some of our patented products knocked off pretty frequently. I see a lot of them on ebay, and there's not really a decent mechanism in place to address these issues. I have to contact the bogus seller myself and usually (mind you I say usually) they back down. It's a royal pain.

 

[spcglider]

But it's all to the benefit of eBay, isn't it? They're taking a "we don't see that" approach simply because if they cracked down on every knock-off product being sold there, they'd lose a significant profit in seller's fees.

The more they ignore, the more money they make. Not that there's anything wrong with making money... but there are limits to honorable business practices.

-G

 

[Phantom]

*tapping the tip of my nose

We have a winner. The almighty dollar sets the rules.

 

[SurfPark]

I don't think anyone has successfully eliminated illegal goods to be sold online. Its too much to track of. Anyone familiar with the DMCA know that eBay only has to respond to requests, this eliminating their responsibilities to proactively seek out these people. The DMCA sets the mininum requirements that any company must abide by when they allow user generated content...or in this case, user-generated auctions.

Anyone familiar with sites like YouTube will know that they've typically only been responding to requests and do no actively seek to protect copyright. As a copyright and patten holder its their own responsibility to scan for illegal activities and ask a web site to remove material that is a violation of DMCA.

I feel that this is a battle that will never be won. Even though eBay sets high standards, well above the law, its almost impossible to prevent the sale of every illegal item. For every bootleg puppet maker they bust, there maybe hundreds of bootleg DVD, software, and handbag sellers slipping through the system. This is why I said that we all chose our own battles. We can protest the illegal activity of one seller, but there are many others that we turn a blind eye to because they are not threatening our interests.

I think its nice that a few of you want to play this cat and mouse game with this unscrupulus seller, but the efforts are only a temporary solution. Sure, this seller may stop eventually...but there is nothing stopping the person from waiting for a set time and trying again. The altruistic sellers will stop when the demand no longer exists.

 

[Toasty]

The altruistic sellers will stop when the demand no longer exists.

I completely agree. And the more that people are educated about the value of protecting the intellectual property of others, perhaps (and hopefully) that will begin to quell the demand for such items.

I am passionate about protecting the IP rights of artists. I know what its like to have copyrighted work misused and believe that the more people who understand the value of the work of ALL artists and designers (etc etc), they will understand the reasons why these laws are in place to begin with. This is especially important education to continue as the internet and digital delivery systems make it easier and easier to circumvent copyright law and the rights of creators.

I think education is the only way to do this. I think industries with a lot more resources than individual artists should be doing MUCH more to spread the word and not only TELL people "don't do it" but use creative and fun ways of driving the point home.

It is impossible to fight every battle. I am passionate about protecting the puppet creations of Jim Henson and will do what I can to educate people in forums like this, and elsewhere. Perhaps in a small way I can prevent some of this demand that leads to more illegal sales for guys like the subject of this thread.

If everyone who was passionate about something did what they could to help protect what they were passionate about, the power of numbers could have a far reaching impact on the Intellectual Property protection for many artist's. Its true that places like ebay will always be "reactionary" and that it will always be up to the artist to seek out the abusers to their IP, but this could be made more manageable with more protective eyes watching and reporting and, most importantly, educating the very people who are ALSO interested in that artist's work.

At the end of the day, it's not about what is legal and what's not. It's about protecting the art. I think most people are good. And most people would not want to harm what they love. When these people are educated that what they and others are doing may be harming what they love, I'm optimistic that many would choose a different path. They may even become active in helping protect the very IP rights they were about to turn a "blind eye" towards. This is the grass roots type of educational effort that can only help. That's why I bother to post here and other places. That is why I think it is worth my time to do so.

At a time when it is so easy to Google anything, its hard to believe that educating people about all of this stuff can't be just as easy.

For every action, there is a reaction. Hopefully it holds true that a positive action will lead to positive reactions.

 

[spcglider]

Wow Toasty!

I'm jealous. I wish I had written THAT!

Very succinct. Lovely.

And exactly what I'd hope for in attitude from the good-hearted folks who hang out here.

You nailed it right on the head. EDUCATION.

Wow... I'm getting verklempt. Honestly.

-Gordon

 

[Telly]

I don't get the connection of somebody wanting a knock off spot on replica and how that person doesn't appreciate the art of the creator? Not saying I'm going to buy one of these replicas, but I still don't see how having one of them in my house is wrong. I wouldn't plan on using it for any sort of advertising or to make money in anyway. If the person who built it for me doesn't make any profit from it, I would assume it's not any different than if they built the replica for themself.