Pirates !!!

[Alex]

These are the figures were sold at a symposium in Heiden
Be careful, my friends ..
Our friend from the forum, specifically bought it to show it to us.

[Kekso]

Did I understood it correctly, someone copied your work?
That is outrageous

[Michel]

Which asshole sells them?

[Alex]

Yes.....

[Kostis Ornerakis]

I am sorry to see this.
I suppose The member who bought them can give you more info on who he is.

[Beano Boy]

Alex,illegal activity such as this is clear cut copyright infringement .
Under Copyright Law,issue Cease and Desist Notice.
To do nothing is like giving them a Licence to rip all your work off.
These people are a blight on the industry.To stress it even more strongly Recasters are Parasites feeding off other peoples abilities.
The argument often put forward by the person who has been ripped off is to say," There is little point in taking action against them,because they have no money."
However,if you see these for sale,you issue the Cease and Desist Notice yourself by writing your own and serve it to them. Draw up a copy for yourself but make sure you have others around you as witnesses to the fact under law,and get them to sign it,and the other one you are serving too.
I bet they would run to the nearest exit.Taking such an action under law, could well mean an end to their activity, and a safeguard for all your splendid efforts.BB

[Alex]

Thanks for the support, my friends. I understand that these guys do not only pirated copies of my figures, but also from other manufacturers.
I only worry that someone can take theirs bad casting for the original.

[Graeme]

If they are selling these at modelling shows it might be an idea to report them to the show organisers. They might not get a table next year. If you could issue a cease and desist order as BB says then any of your forum friends who see these guys selling pirate copies of your work can tell show organisers that they are operating in breach of that order, this might just get a response.

[daikaigan]

Hello Alex,
I often go to trade shows in Germany
I will see if these pieces on some bench, retire them in your name and then I will try to ship them to have,
maybe even I give you a kick in the ass to the guy who sells these.
Greetings from Italy
Massimo

[Wiking]

Do you mean the ISSC at Heiden this September?
I remember a person who show me one of your original box with a few figures in your base color for sell as shown here and tell me:" Over there is a trader that sell Alex figures". But all I see there are copy (only in a zip bag, pink, yellow resin bubbles) of different things.

The real problem is what can you do?

What happen to me as a customer?

The local shop sell only the well known Revell, Heller, Monogram etc. I ask the ex big hobby shop in Nürnberg about resine figure in 1/72. The answer: "Hä? No way do not exist too expensive." Some weeks later he sell Extratec range including figure !!!
If I start this hobby serious I bought Millicast figures, I thouhgt. Some years later I realized that this are copy. Bubble a lot!
I also bought AB figure in resin. Now as far as I know till today AB figure are only in white metal !

At each modell show if you open your Eyes you can find copy of 1/72 figures in metal or resin. More cheap as the original.
So as a customer I get the option cheaper copy or original.

What did I buy?
First of all I want quality. This is a hobby for the eye. A figure for the half price with a big bubble into the face no finger or no hand is repair work for nothing if and this is your key if the original is in a superior quality. And the very most copy of a resin, metal figure I have seen lake simply quality, edges fingers all the very small things!
But too often the original TOO !!!
Second is how I can transport or store these easily breaking resin figures for the way and at home.
Copy in a zip bag or original in a clear or wallpaper box.

Nikolai is a very good example. High quality over now a long time. I start to buy this sets without control.
Ok shit can always happen but all in all a very high standard. Well boxed!
Like your sets look to me but, unfortunately not my timeline.

[Frankzett]

Man! This is a kind of untroubled "chuzpe" I can't believe how a trader's way of thinking leads to such a sense of buisnes - in such a rather familiar hobby-scene-convention. I think the next step now is at the Heiden-organisation to react, to produce transparency for the consumers.

Greetings
Frank

[DerkleinePUC]

Hello,
I bought a bunch of metal napoleonics on ebay last time. Just because there were a lot of unknown nappies with it. after opening the package I got, there were a lot of Schilling Fusiliers as bad copies in it. But, who will ever know which way these took? Who copied these and is this person the same that sold them? And third: how much money will it cost for lawyers to find out and mostly these pirates are poor bastards.

Greetings from automwarm sunny baltic sea coast

Patrick

[Cryns]

I really feel sorry for this happening, Alex.
If there is anything I (and we all together) can do to support you in this, just let us know.
I do understand why you don't mention the name of that forum member who informed you about this case.
But I do not understand why the name of the guy selling these is kept secret to us.

I agree with others it would be best to take some serious steps against this person and to piracy in common. Since it should be very simple:
Do not sell illegal copies.
Sell the originals.
Or make your own figures and sell those.
Every one who sells illegal copies is guilty and should be blamed and punished.
Since every seller, professional or amateur, is supposed to know what he sells.
However, an unexperienced buyer can not be blamed for buying copies of figures he did not see before.
(there is of course an in-between area of people making conversions of existing figures, casting these conversions and selling them as originals. Its not my cup of tea but that seems to be a common thing already in our hobby. I don't understand why. And it is diffusing a proper discussion about piracy I think.)

[Beano Boy]

One must look at this as the Law see`s it,not as you personally see it.
To have a person say they sold it to me is not a proven case under Law. Without proof it is seen as hearsay because the person in question is not able to defend himself. Tom told Dick,Mary did it does not prove a case under law,but if evidence can be presented film,phone taped recording or photos of such a transaction Tom,has proved his evidence as fact and not as heresay!

[Frankzett]

Well beeing upset about this and to go into a juridical battle are two different things. May be there will be a chance of success - you will have a displeasing affair which costs money and time.
So nearly every trader in this hobby knows the names and brands behind the figures - and behind the black sheeps too! If there is no name on such a (rather costly!) cover or with an online offering, why should I trust that the product is untained? The other perspective is from the sculpor we need trust and transparency too, to have the place of our originals in view.
So, If someone sees a strange pack of figures, I think it is neccessary to post this in such a forum, may be there is someone who knows the trade route of such a pirate product - why not make this open to the public. What's about the bastard who make money with pirate products in a public event at Heiden - unaware? unwitting? - he's mocking us!
It is so familiar here in this hobby scene - I hope sooner or later it will come to the light.

Greetings
Frank

[Alex]

My friends !
when I started this thread, I Blvd. sure your support and predicted by many statements and indignation. Thank you! But I did it also to warn others of our friends who produce figures about this unpleasant fact. Subsequent exhibitions and possibly online stores, it is worth paying attention to and like to help each other.
The main feature of piracy is not the fact of copying figures and profit without taking into account the interests of authors.
For example, I do not mind anything, if someone will copy my pieces and use them for his own diorama .Not for sale.
Or in the case of mutual agreement, up to convert the figures. For example, Eric asked my permission in advance, to use a figure of my carpenter - Europeans to do the carpenter - Muslim. I so respect and love Eric, he is ready to give all his pieces to his transformation, because it is always correct.
Speaking of conversion, we can step on "thin ice".
Many of our friends are doing their pieces using "spare" from pieces of other manufacturers. Wherein. these new figures invested so much work and skill that they can be considered the author's figures. Another thing, when my figure (without my consent) is stuck just a cloak and is issued for a new figure - is wrong
The company "Mars" for example, started its production as pirate companies. I remember well their products. They are now quite respectable manufacturers. However, on their website is still present, these sets are taken from the ESSC and Revel. It is interesting - whether claims against him then?
The fact that they were distributed its products primarily in the former Soviet Union-to-date and in Ukraine. Where products ESSK and Revel dyla poorly known and often unavailable. They (Mars) won not by the low prices, and through increased marketing. Without denying the essence of the company pirate Mars, it must be said that they played a major role in popularizing the ESSC and Revell.
Summing up his long speech, I want to say that everyone must be thinking - what can he do to prevent the pirates. In addition, in order to identify them, to show everyone they are infamous (this is optional), you need to think more and build your own marketing and information about their own products. I'm always looking for emerging issues - what is the fraction of my guilt or lack of work.

[Beano Boy]

A Seller may not be aware he or she is selling recast copies,
but once they have been informed that ,that is the case, because of proof.
If they continue to sell those items, that is Collusion to Defraud under the law of any country.

Recast items for sale on E Bay,once identified and reported will be withdrawn from sale.
Without cost.
E Bay shops can be shut down. I hound these guys out of business when ever I can and without cost.

Sure they obtain another trading licence and pop up again opening another shop on E Bay,under differing names and numbers. However they can be tracked by information supplied from E Bay governed under their rules and regulations, but not under the law.
I fail to comprehend why E Bay continues to fork out Licences to trade as easily as they do.

Tom is not wealthy but neither is he poor.
Tom,writes a book under a pseudonym. It took him many months of days and sometimes endless nights in order to finish it in time for a publishers review. It could be rejected however it is not. In total over five months work hammering the keyboard,getting words defined for a better use of deployed emotive language. Eventually realising his efforts would only yield a small income because the powers that govern such splendid things want it sold on Kindle too he takes the hit. So a third of the original price agreed upon is lost. With far less royalties coming in Tom`s Books and new model kits ,and paintbrushes he wants, along with the period piece toys he collects are put on hold.
Now the knock on effect is far reaching because the use of printers ink,and paper and card declines,as books are not printed. So people lose their jobs. To make things worse still pirate copies of Tom`s little books are being sold elsewhere wherever that might well be.

Who is Tom? "BB is Tom."
Very true.

One fellow I had in my sites opened 7 shops on E Bay this way from November last year 2015 to the April of this year 2016. Eventually stuff was offered for sale that I own and he was again shut down. Without cost to me.
Action does not always result in having to spend lots cash. Under princeples not the law I will not be robbed blind of 75 pence I receive in royalties when someone clicks onto Kindle. BB

[Taipeh]

Hello,
it is very difficult to do something against this assholes. Some years ago a guy had stolen me 7cm figure for thousands of Euros. I made a Advertisement at the Prosecutor's Office in Bonn / Germany. They do nothing for a year.
At the same time I informed Ebay about this. He offers my figure under new Company Name and under changing accounts, but Ebay also do nothing.
My lawyer starts a new advertisement one step higher at the Prosecutor Office, but again nothing happened - the best , I never get an answer why they do nothing, this Hobby is not important enought.
Now 5 years later when I want to become angry I only have to search at Ebay for my figure, and he is still selling some of them. Some are the original he had stolen,but the most are now very bad copys.
So my personal Resonance, nothing more to do.
Ciao
Michael

www.germania-figuren.com

[Taipeh]

and the next Asshole , this time a guy from Hungary:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/ryphezdalongliv ... 7675.l2562

Ciao Michael
www.germania-figuren.com

[Alex]

Yes !
I see there are a lot of figures from Erik ...
Yes, absolutely not shy about the trader