WOW ! Great ideas move fast huh?

1771 Views 10 Replies 10 Participants Last post by hauntcrazy, Oct 1, 2009

Scruffywolf

Discussion Starter · Sep 29, 2009

Today i was perusing EbaY and came across this item.

Skeleton Cage, Halloween Prop, Human Skeletons, NEW - eBay (item 200387893712 end time Oct-02-09 10:01:04 PDT)

And i was amazed at how close it was to the cage i made last Halloween with a tutorial....

http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/71910-skeleton-cage.html

I stated in my tutorial that this was not my idea but the idea of Brian Lorsung as posted on the Anatomical Chart Company and gave credit where it was due. I guess i just find it amazing how some come to a site like this, not necessarily to submit their ideas but really just to take ideas and in some cases, profit from other's work.

Anyway, ok, i'm stepping down from my soapbox now.....comments? questions? queries?.....

'Scruff'

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kittyvibe

· #2 · Sep 29, 2009

I think they are in the wrong if they go by anothers design without credit but I think its OK to sell the produced work. I dont think I could ever build something like that so if I wanted to buy it its nice to have one built. If they did use anothers plans I gthink its funny they have this line on their ebay page-
"We design and build all of our custom props." They modified it some I guess but the looks seems too close to original plans to me as well. Not much we can do to the person now, I have an image someone is using that belongs to me to sell their product with on ebay with no mention of credit and ebay wont do much about it.

* SUPER SAILOR MOON PRETTY 1/8 FIGURE RESIN MODEL KIT * - eBay (item 180413018743 end time Oct-28-09 00:42:06 PDT)

thats my work I did on the kit, I didnt know E2046 was using my image when they send out the kits they made, I stupidly thought they just used it for selling in their online shop. SO when these recaster of recasters bought this kit they voila have my images.

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JohnnyAppleseed

· #3 · Sep 29, 2009

Looks eerily similar, still love your build though! Hope that those that do this would give credit to those that inspired them at least.

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Civilian

· #4 · Sep 29, 2009

Reminds me of a similar story.
I am into RC planes and a Friend of a friend built a plane from scratch and it was so popular that he decided to get it mass produced. He found a company in China that would make them fairly inexpensively. Before his first run came in it was available for sale on ebay as well.

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Otaku

· #5 · Sep 29, 2009

Back in 2005 I posted a how-to for a "bush shaker " with LED eyes and sound FX that activated when the shaking started. The following year Spirit was selling the prop. I'm certain that they, Gemmy etc troll the forums for "new" product ideas.

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halloween71

· #6 · Sep 30, 2009

Otaku said:
Back in 2005 I posted a how-to for a "bush shaker " with LED eyes and sound FX that activated when the shaking started. The following year Spirit was selling the prop. I'm certain that they, Gemmy etc troll the forums for "new" product ideas.

I agree.There are lots of gemmy products that were homemade first.

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geoffm

· #7 · Oct 1, 2009

Otaku said:
Back in 2005 I posted a how-to for a "bush shaker " with LED eyes and sound FX that activated when the shaking started. The following year Spirit was selling the prop. I'm certain that they, Gemmy etc troll the forums for "new" product ideas.

is that "how to" for the bush shaker still around?

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BevAnn

· #8 · Oct 1, 2009

Well, pardon my ignorance, I don't know that much about this....but if someone was sellng it on ebay...how would he give credit? Wouldn't he only know the nickname of the person on a forum he "stole" it from? I don't mean this crappy - I've typed this a couple different ways to not sound flippant - but I honestly don't know how a person on ebay would give credit? Would it be best if they pm'd you and asked for your permission to use the design?

Now see, a company like Gemmy stealing a design would def tick me off - they are a large corp, they can email you, and work with you to produce it.

I'm like kittyvibe, there have been many times I've wanted to ask someone on here to make me a prop - but they are too big to ship and too expensive to do also!!

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Otaku

· #9 · Oct 1, 2009

BevAnn said:
Now see, a company like Gemmy stealing a design would def tick me off - they are a large corp, they can email you, and work with you to produce it.

Why would they bother? Like many large companies, they probably find it easier (and cheaper) to ask forgiveness instead of permission. They know that few haunters take the time to patent or copyright their inventions, and once the prop is on the Web, it's open season. Besides, if someone does have an infringement claim, it's up to them to prove prior art. Most of us don't keep notarized documentation that would stand up in patent court. Think about the pirated software industry in China; the government there does nothing about that or any other counterfeiting that goes on.
It's a quandary sometimes - to share or not to share.

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DaveintheGrave

· #10 · Oct 1, 2009

I know Spookineer is going to start copyrighting some of his props before he makes them public.

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hauntcrazy

· #11 · Oct 1, 2009

Guys
I don't mean to offend anyone at all.
But I have been building props and haunting for a number of years and those skeleton cages have been around for several years. I have seen so many of them over the past 10 years. Some different, some the same.
The cage in the picture above is a classic torture cage from medieval times.
Nothing new!!!

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