Pretty funny story, two guys made a toy of a Kamen Rider villain from another Kamen Rider villain toy, sold it and got arrested. http://www.jefusion.com/2011/01/custom-sic-utopia-dopant-seized.html
Imagine what was going through their heads. "Nobody will find out, Bill, so quit complaining." "You're right it's not like anyone will --" 2 Days Later...This Happens.. XD But anyways, I think if these guys just used originality and made the toy themselves, they could've avoided an easy "how not to make your mom proud" move.
Fansubbers, AMV makers, even Glee clubs and the like really should beware. How are we supposed to show appreciation for the things we love when there's that looming possibility of getting arrested?
The problem isn't that they made the modified figure. The problem is that they sold the modified figure. I would agree that being arrested was a little much and am surprised anyone even knew, let alone cared, but, legally, they shouldn't have sold someone else's copyrighted material in the first place. EDIT: Since you mentioned it: Fansubbers are indirectly responsible for stagnant and reduced English anime sales, so, yeah, they're hurting the industry that they claim they're trying to help.
Lol, pretty over the top if you ask me. It's understandable that they would get a fine of some sort, like paying the price they sold it for plus some extra, but arresting? Really? On a different note, those are some pretty dang amazing hobbyists. The figurine looks amazing.
Welcome to Fayt. If it's Kamen Rider, Fayt always cares. In fact I have a niggling suspicion he's one of the arrestees and this is a subtle plea for bail. How's that study-abroad program going for ya, champ? On the one hand, I am a staunch enemy of art as a market; on the other, I'm not sure I'm okay with one profiting from another's work in any form (assuming the figurine hasn't been heavily modified, which I wouldn't know). Now we flip back to the first hand: It's Japan. This crap runs rampant over there, there's practically a whole sub-market for derivative works. The line is blurred so much it's hard to say lawsuits aren't just the products of whimsy or childish retaliation. So when they say "We didn't think they'd notice," I hope everyone understands that it's actually a legitimate excuse.
If they didn't disclose the origins of the figure, then any charges against them are fair game. If they're not claiming the base figure as their own work, then I have no problem with them selling it. They'd be allowed to sell the original figure, so why shouldn't they be allowed to sell a modified figure?
Not really. It was a complete modification of a toy to the point that it's appearance is completely different and probably a breach of warranty or whatever is on the paper that comes with toys. For a comparison, the original Spoiler: Apollo Geist And the modified toy Spoiler: Utopia So it is quite a change. But it's a shame, the guys who got arrested where quite good at making customs. But there's a lot of toy mods in Japan so it is a bit strange that they made a big deal out of this one when there's million more Transformers modders. Though I guess they can't sue them all, as proven when Funimation (?) originally tried suing a few thousand people for downloading an episode of One Piece and eventually had to change it to a single person at a time which would cost them more than they'd get from the lawsuit.
