I find that if you have customized any part of it ( taken off, added, painted) that the figure isn't what the company orginally put out. Which means at least in my head that it is now your own figure. I havent't seen one kid at my school because he drew a Pokemon or a sport logo. IMO as long as the figure has been changed then the manufacturer should not be able to arrest you.
P.S. The custom Kamen rider is SOOOO Cool looking.... i would pick one up if not for that price :\
Over all this is intresting subject. Over all Bandai has took strict stance with this so it depends how company that made orginal product and holds lisence reacts to it. If they are against it then selling custome toys based on toy orginally made by them then of course its not allowed. How ever this brings problem that if some company dosen't take stance in matter then is it then legal to sell custome toy based on that company's product or not as they have not told they opinion on matter.
Haha "Kamen Gayrider", I see what you did there. That's very clever. How long did that take you to come up with? Such a complex of an insult like that must have taken years of thinking. OMG! The complexity it just blew my mind to another dimension! It's unbelievable!! That has to be the funniest insult I have ever read. You gotta teach me the ways of how to make really funny insults like that. It's mind boggling how someone can think of such a good insult. -end sarcasm here-
@PinoyCannibal I blocked you from my channel on account of the senselessly spiteful and moronically voiced abuse-messages you sent me; seems you haven't changed much for the better. I'm also glad to hear that other 'decent' youtubers have as little time for your nonsense as I do....this is the third toy/model channel I know of that has blocked you for similar reasons. WELL DONE.
No doubt the licence holder was with in there rights. However there action was disgusting. Warner bros does the same kinds of things . Sometimes i wonder if they are just afraid of the bar being raised to high as in the quality of the product. I mean if they do this because the custom makes there production run look bad. If the public sees what can be done soon they will demand it .I have had the opposite done to me where a big company stole my idea and used it.That was my welcome to the sharks.
It is a worrying development however, I wonder if I sold one of my painted gundam model in Japan would I now be classified as a criminal ?
Also, where does this place the manufactures of Garage Resin kits of Gundam models. If the laws used to arrest the guys behind the KR custom were also applied to them then it appears that they may be inadvertently entering into a criminal activity.
Personally, I feel that while the law was on their side, Toei/ Bandai were too heavy handed in this matter.
Apologies for commenting so late regarding this interesting topic.
Forgive me if I'm missing the point, but it appears that the issue boils down to the selling, at a hugely inflated price ($3,300!!), of a item which was specifically modified to match likeness of a character to which they did not own the copyright, simply in order to reap a massive profit.
Its a grey area I'm afraid, but it appears the Bandai are strongly protecting their franchise.
I was very shocked when I first caught the news because I actually have their site on my bookmarks.
It's a really sad thing to happen. I don't think they should actually be arrested since it's mostly a model that hey customed by themselves and they didn't mass produces them.
since it didnt happen in the USA, i could care less honestly. this kinda crap would be easily avoided here. if it happened here i would be pissed and think its wrong. but japan makes more money off this kinda stuff then the US does(plus thats alot of money for a custom figure in japan).
This is Bandai's way of saying you can't sell custom toy for high amounts of money......or are they upset at the amounts of money they made and thought they were going to mass produce custom figures and sell them at high prices eventually causing a severe blow to bandai....
but on what legal grounds and reason. Copyright infringement or something else.
I can see what people mean about stepping on toes with the copyrighted character. I mean, it's quite fair to say, yes, these guys did break copyright law. The fact that there is no licensed version of the figure available, doesn't really count for anything, since he is copyrighted.
However, the thing is, if we take this as a precedent, any kind of garage kit would be illegal. I just think this is a lesser evil. One that isn't really doing anyone any harm, since there's no loss in sales for Toei
That is totally unfair for the arrested... In Manila(Philippines) People sell their customized Transformes (just ike this case) with superb quality and in a higher cost than original... but no one is arresting tyem, because you own your model/toy... its your right to sell it again! Unless they made a Movie for it (now thats a different matter) and besides it is not MASS PRODUCTION! come on!
I think the cost of custom work shouldn't matter, since it's an auction (bid system). It's really up to the buyers(community) to make that value--which is sometimes can go up ridiculously.
For me, the law is rather tricky balancing freedom and security on either sides. You might be securing profits on one side, but you're also stifling the creativity of the other end. I still think they shouldn't be arrested, since their custom work is unique.
I've already posted my option on Gundam Australia on this matter. Looks like this is treated like a commercial art piece after fetching that much cash. Once you are leaving the boundaries of being hobby and earning an income you need to cover your arse. The art industry is cut throat once you go beyond doing commission work you are willfully putting yourself up against the copyright holders. The money was made off the name/ image and not the figure.
Handmade or not, that figure just looks superb! and in my opinon they shouldn't have gotten arrested for making it, I mean, really, just go search "Custom Transformers" on eBay and see how many results you get, I just don't think its a very fair law.
I think they should have been arrested, modifying a kit only to sell it as a huge price is just not right, plus it was illegal in their area. I would have been more on their side if they sold their finished piece for the price of the original kit+the price of the modifications+a few bucks more, however they must have went majorly over bored. I plan to give away any customs I make while making sure its known it is a custom and to make known what it was based off of.
this is the case of money grubbers, yes you own the rights to the show but you dont own the rights to someone elses custom work, that be like bandai sueing someone for selling a custom made model or a modified model. its a one of a kind item and none of the work of customizing it was theirs. tt hongli had the right to be sued because they were pirated items, this isnt.
WOW!!! they are very talented. they should'nt have been arrested. instead of being arrested someone should have hired them because what they did was very fantastic work, the company who hired them could have got a lot of income and to be honest who does'nt want to buy that figure?
Sure it was her own sketch of the famous character but due to it being a image resembling goku it was somehow a copyright infringement. In summary this law is telling you nothing truly belongs to you if it was inspired by someone elses creation or ideas
This is sort of similar to us hacking our consoles and jailbreaking our phones. If we buy a product why do we have limitations and boundaries on what is now "ours". Another point is if this figure really was handmade then fanart (such as doujinshi or sketches) and resin kits of our favorite anime characters or mecha should make this law apply to us as well and should result in the person getting jail time. Even Prime92's video of her sketches of goku were taken down due to a similar incident.
There are clear laws stating that these products are not for individual resale but after all of that work being put into it the model becomes your own thing. In the end you should be able to sell.
First off it was an amazing looking figure and bandai just got jealous that they couldn't make it first, second I call bullshits on arresting someone for trying to re-sell something of their own property.
So this is the stupids deal i ever heard of. Who cares if it custom modified. they made it them self's. then sold it. so whopped do. i swear the people on this planet are getting more ridicules bye the hour. My be if they started to mass produce them. but its just one figure. LOL what ever i given up on trying to understand the world and the stupid-ed that goes with it.
out of the box knockoffs are the worst kind. If you're talking about knock-offs that have no box modifications, no instruction booklet modifications, just the parts are crappier, those are the worst and they're hard to track down
Even if they DID go on to mass produce the figure...so long as they bought them from bandai first, then modified each one individually, instead of making a mold. I don't see the problem. Look at all the mod kits out there. It's an abuse of the copyright law. Just because bandai isn't releasing a figure doesn't mean that someone shouldn't go out and try to do something awesome. That's why companies such as Model Comprehend are fair in their business.
@kenshinbattousai374 While I would like to have enjoyed cheap Gunplas from them...I cannot side with companies that simply remold bandai kits straight OOTB, as in, without any modification. Though arguably, by standard patent law (internationally) If someone changes even one little thin on the product, it's not a violation, as the producer altered the original product. That's why Motorola doesn't have to credit Alexander freaking graham bell every time they make a phone.
@kenshinbattousai374 I don't see how "Model Comprehend are fair in their business". At least with regard to Gundam originated stuff. They take someone else's designs and profits from them without paying Capcom any licensing?
@2Old4Toys In that case, we need to after people making Maccross Garage kits to sell, or companies who make conversion kits, without Bandai's, OR Capcom's permission, I'm sure. My point isn't that their idea is oh, so original. It's simply that it been done so long, it's going to become a moot point soon. I apologize for drawing a parallel (implicatively) with TT Hongli, which truly was committing a theft of business, But small companies like MC....or the guys involved with the article.
@kenshinbattousai374 They didn't do Bandai any harm. Think about it. Sure they made thousands off the figure, but when Bandai decides to make a cheaper version of the figure auctionesd (blatantly copied from said figure) those guys aren't going to go and sue Bandai into the ground. They'll just feel awesome because they brought about a change. That goes for all those kits that went from resin to plastic, as well. Think of Kyshatria. Or the Deepstriker, for which there is no plastic model.
@kenshinbattousai374 "we need to after people making Maccross Garage kits to sell, or companies who make conversion kits" That's entirely up to the whim of the copyright owners and they have every right to go after them if they should ever want to do so and the copyright owner absolutely has the law on their side.
@2Old4Toys True, but with all due respect, doesn't this pertain to a whole slew of franchises? People who paint comission models to sell. Or those who make cosplays to sell.If we take into more literal analogy, this is the equivalent of me not being allowed to repaint and sell an auto.
@kenshinbattousai374 did the guy sell (for a not inconsiderable sum of monies) a custom figure made in the likeness of a character design they did not own themselves nor obtain prior permission to use it's likeness. I dunno, but did they use the character name too? If the copyright owner is uncomfortable with this... they're at liberty to take legal action if they wish and usually, their lawyers would be quite sure they will win before starting such deliberately high profile proceedings.
@2Old4Toys If they copied the character name to the letter, the company has a solid case. But only if. Without the copied name, or claim of authenticity, the arrest is nearly baseless. I agree that the company IS within its own rights if they want to restrict the production of the figure AND its likenesses, the arrest DOES go too far. They could have simply stopped the auction, or licensed it "for a fee". There are better ways of doing things like this.
@kenshinbattousai374 Bottom line:What the guys did might have been borderline illegal, but only vaguely so. I revert to my example with the autos. However, if what you said is true, and they copied the Character name perfectly, the company has a claim to a certain portion of the sale. However, it would have been more profitable to them and their brand to simply take the "fee" and clear it.
first thing that jumped out at me in the article was how much the final bid was. people sell customs and figures etc. all the time on online auctions. these people are being completely singled out. like most people have said, other companies make resin/garage kits of all sorts of things and sell them for profit. why is it so wrong when these guys do it? again i keep coming back to how much they made on the sale, its almost like someone got jealous.......
I'm with the seller (defendent)- modifying a figure into a different article and selling it for the effort that is done on it is fair and straight forward. Now what about guys that create garage kits of other famous intellectual properties and do you see them get sued selling them online etc??
I believe that Bandai didn't have a valid case against these two men who had only created something using a figure that they purchased from Bandai..... Toei might of have a valid case due to copy right issues but not really. But basically Bandai got all piss offed that a toy that was at some point was there's and was sold for a lot of money now they want to make so customizing their toys and selling them the for high amounts of money.
I've seen other gunpla kits modify with led and other sold for a high price and those people didn't get arrested i just don't know why these two man would be arrested for modifying one kamen rider w kit auction for sale. but it could just be the price it was sold for that made it such a big issue
this is a complete shame to arrest these guys!!! they made a complete work of art! but unfortunately they dont own the rights to the character. i dont agree with them getting arrested tho. they werent trying to mass produce the figure . but copy right laws are there to protect artist creations. i dont know what to think...i feel bad for the two guys.
I believe that the main reason is due to the huge amount of money involved. They auctioned it, and if the price was little, like about $300 ish, I doube Bandai would even bother. It's only due to the fact that it sold for $3300 that bandai took action. After all, the two man made it once, they can do it again. And for $3000? that would mean alot of profits. Therefore, the arrest. Garage kits are not cheap either, but they do go for a fixed price and in limited runs. Thats my reasoning Utopia FTW
Those garage kits that people talk about are actually special licenses. Companies often license out their properties on 1 day licenses at art and toy shows. The Utopia Dopant custom was probably unlicensed, so they got busted.
I honestly don't get this at all, especially since Japan has Always been big on garage kits and the customizer crowd. I don't know copyright law, but this really looks like a dick move, but, i find it interesting that it's Toei and not Bandai suing. Even though it's a weak reason, maybe it's due to the fact that it's a character they plan on releasing? I just don't get it!!!
@flamebreaker13: I agree first of all the figure is a complete custom, bandai has never made an SIC figure of the utopia dopant. Also, since the figure was a custom, It is not being mass produced, which would probably not be a threat to bandai and toei.
However, this brings up the question of resin kits, since resin kits also infringe on the rights of such companies, why doesn't japan take any form of serious action against resin kit companies other than B-club who have been licensed to do so.
First of all, that figure is gorgeous and it's sad to see people with such talent punished for making money on their work. But, according to the article, they violated copyright laws. I may not agree with it, but it is technically illegal, I suppose. It SHOULDN'T be, if you ask me, but if it is, there's really nothing I can say, they technically broke the law. All I know is, I'm glad we don't have to deal with that here in North America.
@vultwaz Yeah, i do see what you're saying, it would be cool though, to know how they made it, but i doubt will ever have the chance to find out now...... which is sad, cause it's pretty darn cool!!!! Maybe they should hire these guys instead of charging them.....
Well, the S.I.C. Utopia Dopant is handmade but copyright infringement still wins.
nightslash3535 6 months ago
I find that if you have customized any part of it ( taken off, added, painted) that the figure isn't what the company orginally put out. Which means at least in my head that it is now your own figure. I havent't seen one kid at my school because he drew a Pokemon or a sport logo. IMO as long as the figure has been changed then the manufacturer should not be able to arrest you.
P.S. The custom Kamen rider is SOOOO Cool looking.... i would pick one up if not for that price :\
RebornGD 10 months ago
Over all this is intresting subject. Over all Bandai has took strict stance with this so it depends how company that made orginal product and holds lisence reacts to it. If they are against it then selling custome toys based on toy orginally made by them then of course its not allowed. How ever this brings problem that if some company dosen't take stance in matter then is it then legal to sell custome toy based on that company's product or not as they have not told they opinion on matter.
Mecha82 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
kamen rider is gay, that's it plain and simple. Either it's Gunpla or Kamen Gayrider
PinoyCannibal 1 year ago
@PinoyCannibal
Haha "Kamen Gayrider", I see what you did there. That's very clever. How long did that take you to come up with? Such a complex of an insult like that must have taken years of thinking. OMG! The complexity it just blew my mind to another dimension! It's unbelievable!! That has to be the funniest insult I have ever read. You gotta teach me the ways of how to make really funny insults like that. It's mind boggling how someone can think of such a good insult. -end sarcasm here-
Code101001 1 year ago 18
@PinoyCannibal - This comment has no use to the discussion and your pejorative use of "gay" is both unimaginative and unwelcome. Blocked.
Guiltaur 1 year ago 5
@PinoyCannibal wow your the most mature person ever -_-
vultwaz 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@PinoyCannibal you are a disgrace as a person.
acicon 10 months ago
@PinoyCannibal I blocked you from my channel on account of the senselessly spiteful and moronically voiced abuse-messages you sent me; seems you haven't changed much for the better. I'm also glad to hear that other 'decent' youtubers have as little time for your nonsense as I do....this is the third toy/model channel I know of that has blocked you for similar reasons. WELL DONE.
telatron56 4 months ago
No doubt the licence holder was with in there rights. However there action was disgusting. Warner bros does the same kinds of things . Sometimes i wonder if they are just afraid of the bar being raised to high as in the quality of the product. I mean if they do this because the custom makes there production run look bad. If the public sees what can be done soon they will demand it .I have had the opposite done to me where a big company stole my idea and used it.That was my welcome to the sharks.
anovasinn 1 year ago
It is a worrying development however, I wonder if I sold one of my painted gundam model in Japan would I now be classified as a criminal ?
Also, where does this place the manufactures of Garage Resin kits of Gundam models. If the laws used to arrest the guys behind the KR custom were also applied to them then it appears that they may be inadvertently entering into a criminal activity.
Personally, I feel that while the law was on their side, Toei/ Bandai were too heavy handed in this matter.
tc012009 1 year ago
Apologies for commenting so late regarding this interesting topic.
Forgive me if I'm missing the point, but it appears that the issue boils down to the selling, at a hugely inflated price ($3,300!!), of a item which was specifically modified to match likeness of a character to which they did not own the copyright, simply in order to reap a massive profit.
Its a grey area I'm afraid, but it appears the Bandai are strongly protecting their franchise.
tc012009 1 year ago
I was very shocked when I first caught the news because I actually have their site on my bookmarks.
It's a really sad thing to happen. I don't think they should actually be arrested since it's mostly a model that hey customed by themselves and they didn't mass produces them.
blackversegun 1 year ago
@blackversegun can you share it with us i would like to see there website. The news article does not seem to reveal the creators
anovasinn 1 year ago
@anovasinn wwwxgeocitiesxjp/kenosyokutaku/ (exchange x with .)
sadly it seems to have been removed :(
blackversegun 1 year ago
@blackversegun Thanks It is sad its gone
anovasinn 1 year ago
Wow, that's a possible huge block on creativity. Thanks for pointing this out!
rrobbert184 1 year ago
since it didnt happen in the USA, i could care less honestly. this kinda crap would be easily avoided here. if it happened here i would be pissed and think its wrong. but japan makes more money off this kinda stuff then the US does(plus thats alot of money for a custom figure in japan).
wolfielee11 1 year ago
This is Bandai's way of saying you can't sell custom toy for high amounts of money......or are they upset at the amounts of money they made and thought they were going to mass produce custom figures and sell them at high prices eventually causing a severe blow to bandai....
but on what legal grounds and reason. Copyright infringement or something else.
pqcomics 1 year ago
I can see what people mean about stepping on toes with the copyrighted character. I mean, it's quite fair to say, yes, these guys did break copyright law. The fact that there is no licensed version of the figure available, doesn't really count for anything, since he is copyrighted.
However, the thing is, if we take this as a precedent, any kind of garage kit would be illegal. I just think this is a lesser evil. One that isn't really doing anyone any harm, since there's no loss in sales for Toei
okamishade 1 year ago
That is totally unfair for the arrested... In Manila(Philippines) People sell their customized Transformes (just ike this case) with superb quality and in a higher cost than original... but no one is arresting tyem, because you own your model/toy... its your right to sell it again! Unless they made a Movie for it (now thats a different matter) and besides it is not MASS PRODUCTION! come on!
arvinangeles2000 1 year ago
I think the cost of custom work shouldn't matter, since it's an auction (bid system). It's really up to the buyers(community) to make that value--which is sometimes can go up ridiculously.
For me, the law is rather tricky balancing freedom and security on either sides. You might be securing profits on one side, but you're also stifling the creativity of the other end. I still think they shouldn't be arrested, since their custom work is unique.
meadeslemicah 1 year ago
I've already posted my option on Gundam Australia on this matter. Looks like this is treated like a commercial art piece after fetching that much cash. Once you are leaving the boundaries of being hobby and earning an income you need to cover your arse. The art industry is cut throat once you go beyond doing commission work you are willfully putting yourself up against the copyright holders. The money was made off the name/ image and not the figure.
mokanaman 1 year ago
Handmade or not, that figure just looks superb! and in my opinon they shouldn't have gotten arrested for making it, I mean, really, just go search "Custom Transformers" on eBay and see how many results you get, I just don't think its a very fair law.
cannonfodder4000 1 year ago
I think they should have been arrested, modifying a kit only to sell it as a huge price is just not right, plus it was illegal in their area. I would have been more on their side if they sold their finished piece for the price of the original kit+the price of the modifications+a few bucks more, however they must have went majorly over bored. I plan to give away any customs I make while making sure its known it is a custom and to make known what it was based off of.
KingBronzeL 1 year ago
That's ridiculous. It's a breach of human creativity, what on earth is this world coming to?
soldier4670 1 year ago
this is the case of money grubbers, yes you own the rights to the show but you dont own the rights to someone elses custom work, that be like bandai sueing someone for selling a custom made model or a modified model. its a one of a kind item and none of the work of customizing it was theirs. tt hongli had the right to be sued because they were pirated items, this isnt.
123asd1 1 year ago
WOW!!! they are very talented. they should'nt have been arrested. instead of being arrested someone should have hired them because what they did was very fantastic work, the company who hired them could have got a lot of income and to be honest who does'nt want to buy that figure?
SyaoranCloud 1 year ago
Sure it was her own sketch of the famous character but due to it being a image resembling goku it was somehow a copyright infringement. In summary this law is telling you nothing truly belongs to you if it was inspired by someone elses creation or ideas
TheCHDUBBS 1 year ago
This is sort of similar to us hacking our consoles and jailbreaking our phones. If we buy a product why do we have limitations and boundaries on what is now "ours". Another point is if this figure really was handmade then fanart (such as doujinshi or sketches) and resin kits of our favorite anime characters or mecha should make this law apply to us as well and should result in the person getting jail time. Even Prime92's video of her sketches of goku were taken down due to a similar incident.
TheCHDUBBS 1 year ago
Well I just want to say wow that looks amazing.
I understand both sides of this argument.
There are clear laws stating that these products are not for individual resale but after all of that work being put into it the model becomes your own thing. In the end you should be able to sell.
josiebeara 1 year ago
First off it was an amazing looking figure and bandai just got jealous that they couldn't make it first, second I call bullshits on arresting someone for trying to re-sell something of their own property.
l337m4s73r 1 year ago
the bid started at 1 yen, and via a string of overly zealous fanatics jumped to over 250 thousand yen.
Direwolf13PS3 1 year ago
So this is the stupids deal i ever heard of. Who cares if it custom modified. they made it them self's. then sold it. so whopped do. i swear the people on this planet are getting more ridicules bye the hour. My be if they started to mass produce them. but its just one figure. LOL what ever i given up on trying to understand the world and the stupid-ed that goes with it.
Dredhawk10 1 year ago
out of the box knockoffs are the worst kind. If you're talking about knock-offs that have no box modifications, no instruction booklet modifications, just the parts are crappier, those are the worst and they're hard to track down
blacksolar212 1 year ago
Even if they DID go on to mass produce the figure...so long as they bought them from bandai first, then modified each one individually, instead of making a mold. I don't see the problem. Look at all the mod kits out there. It's an abuse of the copyright law. Just because bandai isn't releasing a figure doesn't mean that someone shouldn't go out and try to do something awesome. That's why companies such as Model Comprehend are fair in their business.
kenshinbattousai374 1 year ago
@kenshinbattousai374 While I would like to have enjoyed cheap Gunplas from them...I cannot side with companies that simply remold bandai kits straight OOTB, as in, without any modification. Though arguably, by standard patent law (internationally) If someone changes even one little thin on the product, it's not a violation, as the producer altered the original product. That's why Motorola doesn't have to credit Alexander freaking graham bell every time they make a phone.
kenshinbattousai374 1 year ago
@kenshinbattousai374 I don't see how "Model Comprehend are fair in their business". At least with regard to Gundam originated stuff. They take someone else's designs and profits from them without paying Capcom any licensing?
2Old4Toys 1 year ago
@2Old4Toys In that case, we need to after people making Maccross Garage kits to sell, or companies who make conversion kits, without Bandai's, OR Capcom's permission, I'm sure. My point isn't that their idea is oh, so original. It's simply that it been done so long, it's going to become a moot point soon. I apologize for drawing a parallel (implicatively) with TT Hongli, which truly was committing a theft of business, But small companies like MC....or the guys involved with the article.
kenshinbattousai374 1 year ago
@kenshinbattousai374 They didn't do Bandai any harm. Think about it. Sure they made thousands off the figure, but when Bandai decides to make a cheaper version of the figure auctionesd (blatantly copied from said figure) those guys aren't going to go and sue Bandai into the ground. They'll just feel awesome because they brought about a change. That goes for all those kits that went from resin to plastic, as well. Think of Kyshatria. Or the Deepstriker, for which there is no plastic model.
kenshinbattousai374 1 year ago
@kenshinbattousai374 "we need to after people making Maccross Garage kits to sell, or companies who make conversion kits" That's entirely up to the whim of the copyright owners and they have every right to go after them if they should ever want to do so and the copyright owner absolutely has the law on their side.
2Old4Toys 1 year ago
@2Old4Toys True, but with all due respect, doesn't this pertain to a whole slew of franchises? People who paint comission models to sell. Or those who make cosplays to sell.If we take into more literal analogy, this is the equivalent of me not being allowed to repaint and sell an auto.
kenshinbattousai374 1 year ago
@kenshinbattousai374 did the guy sell (for a not inconsiderable sum of monies) a custom figure made in the likeness of a character design they did not own themselves nor obtain prior permission to use it's likeness. I dunno, but did they use the character name too? If the copyright owner is uncomfortable with this... they're at liberty to take legal action if they wish and usually, their lawyers would be quite sure they will win before starting such deliberately high profile proceedings.
2Old4Toys 1 year ago
@2Old4Toys If they copied the character name to the letter, the company has a solid case. But only if. Without the copied name, or claim of authenticity, the arrest is nearly baseless. I agree that the company IS within its own rights if they want to restrict the production of the figure AND its likenesses, the arrest DOES go too far. They could have simply stopped the auction, or licensed it "for a fee". There are better ways of doing things like this.
kenshinbattousai374 1 year ago
@kenshinbattousai374 Bottom line:What the guys did might have been borderline illegal, but only vaguely so. I revert to my example with the autos. However, if what you said is true, and they copied the Character name perfectly, the company has a claim to a certain portion of the sale. However, it would have been more profitable to them and their brand to simply take the "fee" and clear it.
kenshinbattousai374 1 year ago
first thing that jumped out at me in the article was how much the final bid was. people sell customs and figures etc. all the time on online auctions. these people are being completely singled out. like most people have said, other companies make resin/garage kits of all sorts of things and sell them for profit. why is it so wrong when these guys do it? again i keep coming back to how much they made on the sale, its almost like someone got jealous.......
jasonh768 1 year ago
I'm with the seller (defendent)- modifying a figure into a different article and selling it for the effort that is done on it is fair and straight forward. Now what about guys that create garage kits of other famous intellectual properties and do you see them get sued selling them online etc??
vitzrsx 1 year ago
I believe that Bandai didn't have a valid case against these two men who had only created something using a figure that they purchased from Bandai..... Toei might of have a valid case due to copy right issues but not really. But basically Bandai got all piss offed that a toy that was at some point was there's and was sold for a lot of money now they want to make so customizing their toys and selling them the for high amounts of money.
pqcomics 1 year ago
Comment removed
theMilkproduct 1 year ago
No offence to them...... they are stupid, i think bandai is jealous of it lol
private00gundam 1 year ago
I've seen other gunpla kits modify with led and other sold for a high price and those people didn't get arrested i just don't know why these two man would be arrested for modifying one kamen rider w kit auction for sale. but it could just be the price it was sold for that made it such a big issue
converse201 1 year ago
this is a complete shame to arrest these guys!!! they made a complete work of art! but unfortunately they dont own the rights to the character. i dont agree with them getting arrested tho. they werent trying to mass produce the figure . but copy right laws are there to protect artist creations. i dont know what to think...i feel bad for the two guys.
SNEEPER1980 1 year ago
I believe that the main reason is due to the huge amount of money involved. They auctioned it, and if the price was little, like about $300 ish, I doube Bandai would even bother. It's only due to the fact that it sold for $3300 that bandai took action. After all, the two man made it once, they can do it again. And for $3000? that would mean alot of profits. Therefore, the arrest. Garage kits are not cheap either, but they do go for a fixed price and in limited runs. Thats my reasoning Utopia FTW
chewgd 1 year ago
Those garage kits that people talk about are actually special licenses. Companies often license out their properties on 1 day licenses at art and toy shows. The Utopia Dopant custom was probably unlicensed, so they got busted.
nytrospawn 1 year ago
I honestly don't get this at all, especially since Japan has Always been big on garage kits and the customizer crowd. I don't know copyright law, but this really looks like a dick move, but, i find it interesting that it's Toei and not Bandai suing. Even though it's a weak reason, maybe it's due to the fact that it's a character they plan on releasing? I just don't get it!!!
dendariiprime 1 year ago
@flamebreaker13: I agree first of all the figure is a complete custom, bandai has never made an SIC figure of the utopia dopant. Also, since the figure was a custom, It is not being mass produced, which would probably not be a threat to bandai and toei.
However, this brings up the question of resin kits, since resin kits also infringe on the rights of such companies, why doesn't japan take any form of serious action against resin kit companies other than B-club who have been licensed to do so.
et2neoh 1 year ago
First of all, that figure is gorgeous and it's sad to see people with such talent punished for making money on their work. But, according to the article, they violated copyright laws. I may not agree with it, but it is technically illegal, I suppose. It SHOULDN'T be, if you ask me, but if it is, there's really nothing I can say, they technically broke the law. All I know is, I'm glad we don't have to deal with that here in North America.
SpecterM91 1 year ago
lol i dont see parts from any KR figure i know :s
vultwaz 1 year ago
@vultwaz I see ALOT of Kiva Emperor and Dark Kiva.
dendariiprime 1 year ago
@dendariiprime the cape?
vultwaz 1 year ago
@vultwaz That and the legs, don't you see it in the legs?
dendariiprime 1 year ago
@dendariiprime nope, emperors legs are different. unless the guys cut his legs in half and bought doubles then i guess i see it =P
vultwaz 1 year ago
@vultwaz Yeah, i do see what you're saying, it would be cool though, to know how they made it, but i doubt will ever have the chance to find out now...... which is sad, cause it's pretty darn cool!!!! Maybe they should hire these guys instead of charging them.....
dendariiprime 1 year ago
i think its a little unfair they got arrested selling it though it does look cool
nstrikeboyz 1 year ago
Wow thats just sad why would they get arrested if they didnt actaully do anything of mass production!
flamebreaker13 1 year ago
it looks badass
TheTACOBOYZ1 1 year ago