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Docter
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 21 Oct 2002
Posts: 3420
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 Posted: 02/03/05 - 21:28 Post subject: Plastic model industry under attack.
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http://www.ipmsusa.org/MemberServices/FutureHobby.htm
| Quote: | For the past several years, the scale model hobby has been under an assault that is powerful enough to lead to its complete destruction, though many participants are not aware of the problem.
I first became personally aware of this when I was hired to do a project for Revell-Monogram back in 1999. This involved getting some information on airplanes, so I decided to go to the source - the aircraft manufacturers - and ask for their material. When I called Northrop-Grumman, I was referred to the Legal Department, where a not-so-friendly attorney launched into a long and not-so-friendly discussion of how it was that the hobby industry was stealing the intellectual property of the companies by making unlicensed models of their trademarked products. After a few minutes of this, I decided to bail out of the conversation by claiming ignorance and the fact that I was in no position to influence the policies of Revell-Monogram. The next call was to Boeing, where I was quickly referred to the "licensing administrator," whose conversation was limited to informing me that the licensing fee for obtaining the information was one and a half percent of anticipated profits from the line of models the project involved. I used the same parachute I had used at Northrop-Grumman.
My next call was to the executive at Revell-Monogram who had hired me, to ask just what in hell was going on. I learned that since at least the mid-1990s, companies like Boeing and Northrop-Grumman have been attempting to impose licensing fees on model companies, for the privilege of making "representations" of their "trademarked intellectual property," i.e., the airplanes they produced.
Since I make my living by the sale of my intellectual property and have a general understanding of this issue, and most of you have never considered the question of copyright and trademark law, let me explain this situation, and what it means to you and your hobby.
Basically, since the outset of the hobby 50 years ago, the makers of model kits were free to design and construct replicas at will, providing playthings, toys, educational products and model kits to the public. The manufacturers of the original items - where they paid attention to the model industry at all - considered these items to be free advertising. Perhaps the fact that many of their employees (at least it was true in aerospace) also built models and were participants in the hobby meant that there were people in decision-making positions who had a personal stake in the continued existence of the hobby.
About 15 years ago, the corporate legal departments realized that all those car models represented a possible revenue stream, and that none of the makers of car kits was big enough to take on General Motors, Ford, or any of the others in a long-term legal battle over trademark infringement. In fact, the companies had a case, since their designs were their original products, and were identifiable and known to the public as Fords, Chevys, Caddies, etc. Thus, the auto companies decided to demand licensing and royalty payments from those making replicas of their cars and within a few years most makers of car replicas were licensed and paying those royalties.
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F'ing lawyers and greed.
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NickPSH
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 5680
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Posted: 02/03/05 - 21:31 Post subject:
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Planes, Trains, and, OMFG SUED.
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Rennol
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 3741
Location: Charleston, IL
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Posted: 02/03/05 - 22:04 Post subject:
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That sucks...
I still have all of my old models from when I was a kid, heck, I didn't really stop until I was like 16... I got a bad ass Sherman tank and a Panzer IV H, all detailed up and weathered, they look awesome.
Who wants to build models of s****y Boeing planes anyway, stick to the good stuff like Me-109's and shit :p
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Yabden
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 13 Oct 2002
Posts: 2485
Location: Ohio
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Posted: 02/04/05 - 00:51 Post subject:
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i bet its funny when you get reported to the poilce to when you ask to get specifications about airplanes
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teeroyoyort
Luke Warm
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 312
Location: Pembroke Pines, FL
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Posted: 02/04/05 - 03:32 Post subject:
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everyone wants to make some money. on the bright side, there will prolly be even better replicas out there if they have to pay for the rights to the specifics. but on the other hand your hobby will jack up in price no doubt.
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