Ironhidensh wrote:Seibertron wrote:
What is most bafflingly is the short sightedness that 3rd party supporters have for the long term longevity of this brand and the damage that 3rd party does to the official brand and to Hasbro and Takara Tomy. I'm in this hobby for the long haul. I've been collecting since 1984. Never stopped. It has been my passion for all but the first 7 years of my life. This site is here because of my passion. I dread the moment thinking about this fandom and the Transformers brand ultimately being destroyed because of the long term damage 3rd party products does to both. The more 3rd party takes over the fandom, the closer the brand is to ultimately failing.
What long term damage? I’m not trying to be a smart ass, l’m genuinely curious and want to know. I might not be as passionate as you, but I’ve been a fan for just as long. Well almost. I left the fandom shortly after the fallout from the first movie.
3rd party products played a huge part in bringing me back in. In fact, I still buy official product largely because of the interest 3rd party keeps with me. Every collector I know of who buys 3rd party is the same. It enhances and expands our interest in official product.
Also, we are such I tiny slice of the consumer pie, I have a hard time believing we are even a blip on Hasbros radar. Especially considering in the years since 3rd party came about, the brand has done nothing but grow. Also, the main slice of market 3rd party affects is masterpiece, a slice Hasbro cares very little for. Their money and success comes from big box retail store lines. They may pay lip service to mp, but their actions speak louder. Any dollars given to 3rd party were dollars never going to Hasbro in the first place, as Hasbro had nothing to sell. No loss = no damage. When and if Hasbro (well, Takara really) does offer an official figure, almost every 3rd party collector I know buys it as well. MP-44 Prime May be the first to buck that trend, but that is more because of the ludicrous price, and even then, most are buying it as well.
Hasbro sees no threat, why should we? Again, I’m not trying to be a smart ass here, but if I’m missing something beyond differences of believe in the ethics of business practice, I do want to know.
Since you're legit curious, IP-Infringing Companies (really, "3rd Party" is as much a misnomer as "retool" is in its current use) can cause damage not just financially through loss of potential revenue, but also to the general view on what's allowed in normal business and copyright, and what illegal shenanigans should be "tolerated". Not talking Transformers here, but in any market you can think of in the grand scheme of things.
Laws, or even rules in general, have no effect unless it is enforced, even then the effect can vary depending on how it's done. A good example of that would the Dutch legal policy on drugs. Technically illegal throughout, but a "tolerance policy" is in place if the amount is small and for personal use (they're now experimenting with state-sponsored suppliers for better control). This is to conserve resources for bigger fish, to keep the would-be offenders at bay while keeping them placid. When they know their place, they stay there.
Hasbro has something similar in place, the companies know that, and stay put to avoid stepping on the big boy's tail. Zeta Toys however had the guts to publicly announce their project, which is similar to what Hasbro the owner of the IP is doing, and letting the video name the inspiration (albeit misspelled). This would have been an ideal moment for the seed planted long ago to sprout, giving other companies the same idea "hey, we can do that without Hasbro intervening? Sweet!". Instead, Hasbro nipped it in the bud, saying "to here and no further".
The move to have the video pulled was more for the protection of the market as a whole which copyright is the base principle of. I don't think I'll need to explain what would happen if any market was flooded with tons of similar or copied product of inferior quality for a quick cash grab. It may not turn into a 1933 redux, but a certain 1983 crash was bad enough.