MadHatterGraphix

Getting sick of people under pricing and more.

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OK this guy is probably on this forum however I don't care this guy is under pricing everybody and doing copyright infringement, Anyway he came onto this FB page I belong to and started selling decals for $2 a piece, then he is trying to sell VW ones at that. And of course some other designs that I believe to be copyrighted. So I don't know if I was in the wrong but I contact VW about this issue. Should I have done that or should I have let it slide?

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The Hatter don't play like that, If I did something like this I would be reported. Anyway I didn't have to do much seems the admins took it down after I just posted three simple words "wow copyright infringement".

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OK this guy is probably on this forum however I don't care this guy is under pricing everybody and doing copyright infringement, Anyway he came onto this FB page I belong to and started selling decals for $2 a piece, then he is trying to sell VW ones at that. And of course some other designs that I believe to be copyrighted. So I don't know if I was in the wrong but I contact VW about this issue. Should I have done that or should I have let it slide?

 

 

The Hatter don't play like that, If I did something like this I would be reported. Anyway I didn't have to do much seems the admins took it down after I just posted three simple words "wow copyright infringement".

 

So you made this thread to do what exactly?

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If the fool is selling copyrighted decals then karma will take care of him. If you happen to help karma along, so be it. Just make sure you are not living in a glass house. Those who take offense to you reporting him are probably doing the same thing.

 

It's so much easier to look the other way than to do what is right.

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The people over at signs101 are saying the same thing about you and everyone else on this forum with there little cheap machines making decals at home. Gotta just turn your back and move along.

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damn signs 101 notices little old uscutter. I feel honored lol. I'm no saint which is why I have stayed out of this conversation, glass houses kind of thing.

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I haven't been to Sins101 in years. They think having the money to buy an expensive cutter and other equipment makes you a sign person. I was PAINTING signs before many of them were born. Bunch of snobs and you can have them all.

 

AS for snitching....I can tell you from experience that VW (for one) actually has people on the payroll that do NOTHING but look for copyright violations. They don't do my job for me and I'm not doing theirs for them.And no, my experience wasn't from doing VW crap...it was my nephew who was doing a website for his '65 Beetle restoration and they came after him, said he couldn't even use the VW name or 'beetle' on his blog.wb page. He was 15 at the time.

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damn signs 101 notices little old uscutter. I feel honored lol. I'm no saint which is why I have stayed out of this conversation, glass houses kind of thing.

 

 

not uscutter in general but years ago when I had first gotten into messing with vinyl decals I stumbled upon the site which I didn't know was pretty much for big time owners of actually no shit sign shops. Saw many threads on the hate they have for the one man at home "shops" that can greatly undercut them and take business away.

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So do most companies give you a warning to stop what you are doing? Or do they throw the book at you?

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So do most companies give you a warning to stop what you are doing? Or do they throw the book at you?

 

I can neither confirm nor deny I got a C&D email from a certain auto manufacturing company. Took the stuff down and never heard from them again.

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not uscutter in general but years ago when I had first gotten into messing with vinyl decals I stumbled upon the site which I didn't know was pretty much for big time owners of actually no shit sign shops. Saw many threads on the hate they have for the one man at home "shops" that can greatly undercut them and take business away.

I've been a member over there for years but have never really found the need to be active on there. In case somebody from there snoops you'd be surprised how may of us actually run high dollar machines both print and cut side of things but most of us just wouldn't fit in with all of the uppityness going on over there. As far as what Hatter said in the beginning I'm more in line with Bannerjohn about letting the people paid to chase them down do their job.

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But where do you draw the line though, if you see someone rob someone, do you let it slide or call the cops?

 

Just stirring the pot.  :)

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Rob me and You'll find the line. They pay for people to do that job and unless they are paying me it is not my job.

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I actually wrote to HD about a parody I did of the harley logo. Mine says Hardly davidson and was stuck on the back of a yamaha 550 that I chopped into a rat rod. I thought it was fairly appropriate and couldn't see why it wouldn't be safe in the fair use protection. I even consulted some pro-bono help from an attorney friend who is totally convinced like me that it is protected by fair use. The letter was pretty straight forward from HD that they would definitely be sending a C&D letter should I try to promote it. The end result was that I decided I kind of like my house and other things so I decided not to try and produce them but I do wear one on the back of a black hoodie. Took the one off the bike when I sold it. The thing about fair use it that it is there to protect you IN A COURT ACTION meaning that you will be in court trying to use it to keep from having to pay huge fines. Just not worth it for what would amount to a $5 decal. Now if I thought I could sell a million of them I might try pressing things before actually doing so just to see if I could get one by on HD but the few who have can be counted on one hand. They made the point that I was (should I proceed) trying to profit on the back of the millions of dollars that they had spent over the years building their fame and notoriety, which is a pretty dang good point and one a judge just might be inclined to agree with. 

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I've been a member over there for years but have never really found the need to be active on there. In case somebody from there snoops you'd be surprised how may of us actually run high dollar machines both print and cut side of things but most of us just wouldn't fit in with all of the uppityness going on over there. As far as what Hatter said in the beginning I'm more in line with Bannerjohn about letting the people paid to chase them down do their job.

 

Yes, there are people over here with some high dollar machines. A lot of people over there though are one or multiple storefront business owners with probably at least 50-100k in equipment in their back room. But yeah I am not going to waste my time tracking down some company info to just tell them someone is selling a sticker of their logo.

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One thing you gotta realize though is about the most action you would get out of these companies is C&D letters. You think you would actually waste money and time sending out lawyers against someone who has made maybe a couple hundred bucks off their logo, nah don't think so(unless it is like HD/Disney or one of those few companies who will snipe out anyone and everyone they can)

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Yes, there are people over here with some high dollar machines. A lot of people over there though are one or multiple storefront business owners with probably at least 50-100k in equipment in their back room. But yeah I am not going to waste my time tracking down some company info to just tell them someone is selling a sticker of their logo.

I might if they were making waves where I do business and causing me to lose work. I see people selling stuff that is surely infringement all the time and if I stopped to nark on every one I would never have time to do my own illegal stuff. <sarcasm>

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I can tell you that dodge , Ram , Hemi has no sense of humor at all . . . just sayin

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For some people a c&d is almost a badge of honor. If I got 1 I'd frame it and hang it in my office. And I would stop whatever I was doing that earned it.

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Did ya know? Chrysler didn't even have the name 'HEMI', copyrighted, and trademarked, until they brought it back for the Magnum, station wagon looking thingy. Up until then, it was just a generic term.

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'Hardly (a) Davidson'  looks like it would easily fall within the guidelines of 'Parody'.

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Did ya know? Chrysler didn't even have the name 'HEMI', copyrighted, and trademarked, until they brought it back for the Magnum, station wagon looking thingy. Up until then, it was just a generic term.

I tried arguing it about 8 years ago as even gm had a hemisherical head engine in the 60's - unless I wanted to spend hundreds of thousands to try to win - they won a lot cheaper.

MIL worked at the time as an assistant atty general and told me even if I win they will make it cost so much to win that it won't be worth it in the end - that is the game to keep you from even fighting it.  few years later I had an at work injury that got delayed for a couple years till I had the issue fixed and hired an atty - I won and got my out of pocket expenses and atty fees but never got the 800 hrs of sick pay back - same scenario they will always win in the end even if you "win"   with me it was principle after I had it fixed and was happy to basically break even.  I never claimed workmans comp or any other options and the people that went that route usually won in the end.  I just wasn't cut that way - if I could get by somehow I did till i could retire.  now did others with less wrong go off and get early retirement or disability = sure they did but I held my head high as I hobbled out of there on my regular retirement lol

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'Hardly (a) Davidson'  looks like it would easily fall within the guidelines of 'Parody'.

I agree and might win in court. LOL If I was a "sticker" salesman I might worry about what might have been but as it stands I'm not going to push it. I might be coerced into loaning out a copy of the file for professional inspection though. 

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