Does anyone know if there are any restrictions against making repair parts for a faulty figure. I paid $100 for a figure from Perfect Effect and the damn thing broke within a week. I am a huge fan of the figure but am upset at the shotty joint work. I know I can not be the only one that has had these issues and since I can not find contact information for the company, I was wanting to cast the piece myself. I would be willing to help people with replacement of any broken pieces, but don't want to take a chance if I can end up getting sued. If anyone has any advice concerning this please let me know.
In before IP trolls. Technically, yes, it's viewed as a violation of copyright, an arrangement that once in the Peoples' mutual interest but which has since been warped into a ridiculously one-sided giveaway to litigious corporate trolls entitled to freedom from all responsibility. So while it is ethically right for you to fix your purchased property and you should by all means do it, don't get too loud about it or thugs will come out of the woodwork to punish you.
Given perfect effect is a 3rd party company, I don't think there's much they could do to stop you. So long as you're not selling reproductions of parts for a profit, I don't think anyone is going to mind. When you start doing that, you open yourself up to trouble, though whether they could sue you for it (or would) is a pretty complicated discussion.
Honestly, are there any trademark symbols on any PE items or their boxes anyways? I say make whatever you want, be honest to people about what it is, and wait to see if PE sends you a letter asking you not to do it. I bet they don't care.
I highly doubt IP police are going to come knocking on your door the moment you fabricate a replacement piece. You're totally in the clear for doing this. Who would know you did it outside of those who read this thread?
Considering they've made metal replacement inner-parts for Hercules, I don't see this becoming a big issue. Forgetting third party toys, I wish groups out there would repro official toy parts known to break. Stuff like Euro/G2 Pyro/Spark's GPS waist, gun and feet. But third party groups, I don't think you have anything to worry about. May I ask which figure and what broke?
Just throwing it out there.. All the G1 toy patents are long since expired. Hasbro may own the FICTIONAL CHARACTERS as intellectual property, but the components to make them are in the public domain. So you can't sell a "Prowl" without breaking the law, but you could sell a "robot police car windshield replacement" no problem.
I fully support an effort for repro parts. Reprolabels has been doing it for years, and there are other repro companies in different communities. Contact them, get the scoop, and let us know what you find out. Historically, people providing TF repro parts get instantly popular, quickly overloaded with orders, and end up bowing out. There's a HUGE market here, waiting to be tapped. The problem is it takes equipment, knowledge, and time.
None for 3rd party. We've even had people recast Hasbro product parts here. The only issue you would get for recasting parts, is if it was for any new head molds or parts for a Fun Publications released exclusive (Botcon or Club exclusive). As they have shut down repro parts here before for their products. But as for 3rd party, go have a field day. I know M-31 Designs offers recasted light piped eyes and canopies for the TFC Uranos figures here, and those are very welcomed by the community.
That's exactly what it comes down to. Some group would have to be willing to do it, but there needs to be a good company-sized effort (ie: not just one guy) to concentrate on reproduction parts, like Transrepro back in the day. I think the hard part is, using my Pyro/Spark example, there may be known figures with usual breakable pieces that few people would own and maybe not make certain jobs worth it. But if a group out there big enough started trying to tackle this part of the market, that could really become something.
That honestly depends on whether things like the Mickey Mouse Preservation Act applies to merchandise methinks. US copyright/patent law now locks down many items for up to a century at the very least. Not that this applies to 3rd Parties that ignore this when designing character homages... or KO's that flat out copy pre-existing engineering/characters/designs/etc. That said... considering how murky the 3P waters are... doubt anyone would get on your case about repair/replacement parts. If you're dealing with recent Has/Tak or exclusive official stuff... might get a CnD order from them though. It would be frowned upon, however, if you took a kit and made a full-on copy of it to redistribute/profit from... as was the case with various FB items being flat-out stolen/copied in the past year or so.
The item in question is pe rc arm. I did have a problem with her hand joint and had to get that remade.( cost me about as much as the item itself.) With reading this thread you have given if not hopefull ideas as to following my own dream of making a good third party toy. Though unlike the most tps (third partys) I would have parts to replace items. I had a company send me items(goodsmile.com)to two of the items I lost. They sent me Free replacement parts. I can't tell you how that made me feel but I feel it would go a long way to ofter that to people that buy them. I personal lack the drawing (though I'm trying to lean cad) skill needed to make this happen. However starting a company that deals with only repair items might make it if the right people started such a project. I'm sure such is the case with hab tranformers anima arcee and prowl how thier thumbs would snap due to thier weapons not fitting right.
