Interesting email from SSC regarding custom pieces.

The following email has been doing the rounds on the FB groups. This shouldn't affect OSF, but, nonetheless, it makes for an interesting read:

"As Sideshow continues to work with license holders to combat this illegal practice, we are taking a critical look at our advertising associates and their own practices on curbing unlicensed customs. We believe it is crucial not only to be supportive of our advertising affiliates, but to also receive reciprocal support in that relationship.

To our great disappointment, some of our current affiliates have openly allowed discussions of unlicensed customs, hosted picture galleries of unlicensedcustoms and encouraged or facilitated the sale of these items through their Facebook groups / pages, forums, private messaging and other methods.

Therefore, Sideshow has made the critical decision that beginning on June 9th, any affiliate who continues this practice will have their accounts terminated, and all commissions, pending or owed, canceled.

This includes the following:

Renderings, both 2D and 3D, of licensed entities that could be construed as available for sale via public post or private message.

Posts/mentions to solicit unlicensed customs.

Allowing known unlicensed custom artists, manufacturers or entities to post freely on your forum, social feeds, groups, etc.

Posting imagery or videos of custom pieces."


So now you know.

CHEERS!

#email #SSC

Part of it has to be that Sideshow is constantly embarrassed that their own production sculpts/paintwork fall far short of unlicensed offerings.  

Imagine if Eleven produced a Big Trouble in Little China Jack Burton sculpt?


But, actually thinking about that, it might help sell their own Jack Burton figures as people could instantly improve them for a small extra outlay.

This whole thing could backfire as Sideshow's own products become less attractive because alternatives that would provide solutions wouldn't be made common knowledge in the places that many collectors might confine themselves to, e.g, SSF, OSS, or OSW.

One Sixth Society Statement:

Jon Deak
Admin · 4 hrs

STATEMENT: From Day One I Have Made It Very Clear That One Sixth Society Supports, Protects & Celebrates Custom Figures & Artists. Talent In This Hobby Is Like An Endangered Species and We Must Do Everything We Can To Preserve and Protect Custom Artists.

In Regards To Sideshows Recent Announcement About Banning The Discussion & Photos Of Custom Figures in Facebook Groups, Forums etc - I Am Planning a Phone Call With Sideshow To Further Discuss This To Get a Better Understanding Of This New Policy.

You Must Remember That One Sixth Society’s Group is Hosted On Facebooks Platform And We Are Subject To Their Trademark Laws.

Rest Assured I Will Gather As Much Information About This and Keep All Society Members Informed.

To The Customs Artists Reading This “To be an artist is to believe in life.” Thank You For All The Beautiful Life You Give To This Hobby.

I’ll Be In Touch... - Jon

When the ARTOYS Hellboy came out Jon was deleting posts about it from members who had just received him.

Then Jon got the ARTOYS Hellboy and loved it so much he posted about it at least twice.

One Sixth Republic statement:

Adam Pagels
Admin · 7 hrs

Until we can get clarification from Sideshow in regards to what qualifies as a custom, members of the admin team are ending our affiliate status with Sideshow effective immediately. This means custom discussion will NOT be disbarred from One Sixth Republic.

Stifling such a massive part of the community is anathema to the nature of the hobby. Whilst Sideshow and Hot Toys are fully within their rights to target unlicensed products, we believe it's in the best interests of the group -- and the hobby -- not to submit to this.

Cheers everyone
- OSR Admin Team

I've seen it going around too and the comments offered up by members of different groups were all interesting.
"I Am Planning a Phone Call With Sideshow To Further Discuss This To Get a Better Understanding Of This New Policy"
Aww that's sweet and heroic and all but anyone who has a phone can just call up sideshow no ?
(wHAT iS wITH tHE cAPs iN 'dAT gUY'S sENTENCES aNYWAY)

WTF? Are they panicking because the era of action hero movies seems to be coming to an end? Or is it a kneejerk reaction to their lack of Marvel figure sales? I thought they had gone back to statues mostly anyway since HT has taken over practically all the 1/6 figure licenses they used to have. Why not make their own propriety licenses into 1/6 figures like 'The Court Of The Dead'? I'd be all over that! I can understand them attacking the KO markets or even mass produced unlicensed figures they hold a license to but individual custom builds or even discussing them? That just nuts, pathetic and unrealistic to boot. I'd say I'd boycott them but I never buy from them anyway, far too expensive for a European customer.

Don't ask me, but, SSF is going to be a pretty barren place. About 90% of what I'd look at on there would be customs on offer from the likes of Inigo, BBKill, MJ et al.

I don't think we're affiliated with anyone, so, could stuff like that end up here!?

CHEERS!

I don't know, Roger. I am hoping someone tells us. I did review "Hellman"...

Wow. Just, wow.
Talk about stifling creativity.

Fair enough as has been said to go after knockoffs and people stealing their licences but penalising folk fro individual customs is ludicrous. I know some companies are really harsh on fanart (Disney being one) but this is ridiculous.

if they were smart they would hire these artists instead of trying to corner them and those who support them...
The license excuse doesn't sound valid coming from sideshow since they cannot compete with hot toys on their main marvel and starwars licenses... Nothing to do with unlicensed products, only the quality of their own products is to blame.

Steve Ure on OSR just posted this:



Not easy to read but the orignal image was quite small.

I sort of understand the concern about people making money out of it irking them as they pay a lot for licenses (which the customer then pays for..) but the last three points or 'examples' listed are completely bonkers and have nothing to do with them! Does this mean Marvel can sue me for making my own custom Iron Man related figures for my collection? Or Disney for my SW customs on my shelves I made? What about all the LOTR and The Hobbit stuff I'm doing just for myself? Is Wetta going to come after me too? The whole thing is ridiculous and the world is going to hell faster every day with all this PC, nanny state, legal crap...

shovelchop81 wrote:I sort of understand the concern about people making money out of it irking them as they pay a lot for licenses (which the customer then pays for..) but the last three points or 'examples' listed are completely bonkers and have nothing to do with them!  Does this mean Marvel can sue me for making my own custom Iron Man related figures for my collection? Or Disney for my SW customs on my shelves I made? What about all the LOTR and The Hobbit stuff I'm doing just for myself? Is Wetta going to come after me too? The whole thing is ridiculous and the world is going to hell faster every day with all this PC, nanny state, legal crap...

It's okay for personal use.

But if you turn it into a business Disney will send their top enforcer round.

Asta wrote:

shovelchop81 wrote:I sort of understand the concern about people making money out of it irking them as they pay a lot for licenses (which the customer then pays for..) but the last three points or 'examples' listed are completely bonkers and have nothing to do with them!  Does this mean Marvel can sue me for making my own custom Iron Man related figures for my collection? Or Disney for my SW customs on my shelves I made? What about all the LOTR and The Hobbit stuff I'm doing just for myself? Is Wetta going to come after me too? The whole thing is ridiculous and the world is going to hell faster every day with all this PC, nanny state, legal crap...

It's okay for personal use.

But if you turn it into a business Disney will send their top enforcer round.

That's okay, I make custom guns too!

shovelchop81 wrote:That's okay, I make custom guns too!

I can see their issue with bootleg products and stuff like that being outlawed from affiliated sites? But banning talk of custom headsculpts seems like an over the top reaction.


I feel certain it will backfire spectacularly. I'll get the popcorn and watch.

I had thought I had posted this here but it was in the wrong thread. Anyway.

It amazes me the pomposity and arrogance that Sideshow and their """""artists""""" have the balls to go after unlicensed pieces is staggering. Can they be that aloof to know why there's a market for it? No one wants to buy their $240 POS ugly figures anymore when there's a way cheaper alternative that is easily three to five times the quality.

I hope this is the tipping point for SSC's sales to take a big decline.

I'm off to smash my custom padme sculpt with a mallet, chaps.  Can't be seen to be doing anything Sideshow consider to be illegal.  In future, I shall only admire the standard unmodified version...

Goodbye my pretty...

Natalie by Macktrucker, on Flickr

Interesting development. I wonder if it has something to do with all the Deadpool (unmasked) HS floating around? or Wolverine?

IMHO . . . Jon Deak is an HT sycophant <censored>.

He posted a pic of him holding his HELLMAN boxed figure with a hand written note on the box stating HELLBOY.

He's a God damn hypocrite.

Sideshow is basically about CONTROL and $ . . . considering Sideshow have proven themselves over the years of $%^& design and quality on many items (and also very good design and quality), but demanding / expecting HT prices from their customers along with the same level of extreme sycophant behavior like a lot of HT collectors.

DeltaForceChung wrote:IMHO . . . Jon Deak is an HT sycophant <censored>.

He posted a pic of him holding his HELLMAN boxed figure with a hand written note on the box stating HELLBOY.

He's a God damn hypocrite.

A hand written note saying HELLBOY ???


Jon's in a bind over this.

He needs his Sideshow ad and sales link revenue to fund his 1/6 toys and 1/1 car collection.

If he has to cut out a large volume of potential posts he'll lose customers to OSR, his old rival who have already severed the Sideshow umbilical cord.

Thank God, we don't have to rely on ad revenue (yet...)

Asta wrote:A hand written note saying HELLBOY ???


Jon's in a bind over this.

He needs his Sideshow ad and sales link revenue to fund his 1/6 toys and 1/1 car collection.

If he has to cut out a large volume of potential posts he'll lose customers to OSR, his old rival who have already severed the Sideshow umbilical cord.

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