Thommy H:
The Blights weren’t generic originally - they came as standard with the cyclopean heads. Andy was actually contacted by GW about them, which is why he changed the way they were sold.
Interestingly, there probably isn’t much of an IP issue with the not-Doctors, not-Serenity crew and not-Riddick because none of those properties licenses gaming figures. He’s not competing with them at all and the lack of miniatures to represent those characters is actually why he sculpted them in the first place.
snowblizz:
Interestingly, there probably isn't much of an IP issue with the not-Doctors, not-Serenity crew and not-Riddick because none of those properties licenses gaming figures. He's not competing with them at all and the lack of miniatures to represent those characters is actually why he sculpted them in the first place.
Thommy H
Wouldn't that more properly be phrased that those who own respective copyrights have chosen not to do something about it. Or indeed are not aware at all. GW after all has miniatures as their main business and so is understandably a bit testy with IP.
Thommy H:
Well yeah, that’s what I mean - if they were in the miniatures business, they’d have reason to step in or would have even heard of Heresy. They’re not, ergo Andy isn’t competing with them, so it doesn’t matter.
dedwrekka:
Well yeah, that's what I mean - if they were in the miniatures business, they'd have reason to step in or would have even heard of Heresy. They're not, ergo Andy isn't competing with them, so it doesn't matter.
Thommy H
They can step in at any time and enforce their copyright or IP to protect them from people profiting or copying it in any way they wish to see it. Whether they sell minis or not is irrelevant to how their IP rights work. Now, how far they can take that in court is another thing entirely...*
I can create an idea for a new game system, get copyright to it (I have IP rights from the point of creation), and not touch it or develop it. If anyone does anything at all (pictures, movies, art, games, comics, ect) with it without my permission, I can enforce my copyright.
Same thing as if I wanted to make miniatures from Baggronor's art, I'd still be violating his IP rights even though he doesn't sell miniatures based on his art. Even if he doesn't sell his art, but gives it away, and you make something based on his art, it's still an IP violation.
*Law suits are not always the end result, usually it's harder to show that the person had exposure to the original IP and was intentionally trying to profit off of it. It's often harder to prove that the violation was a detriment to the original IP, which is where the amount in law suits often stems from. Intent is hard to prove in a lot of IP cases, which is why most end in a warning and ruling to change the second case to be less like the original IP.
We had to read books on IP rights and copyright in webdesign classes.
Thommy H:
I think it would rather depend on how the IP of the various properties is enforced. A miniatures company, by definition, can extend their IP to cover any small-scale sculpture that looks vaguely similar. So GW can threaten to sue for any emaciated, plague-ridden zombie thing with one eye and a horn, because that’s what a Plaguebearer looks like, and it’s clearly in competition with the existing Plaguebearer models.
But I have my doubts as to whether a guy in a long coat and a suit with floppy hair standing hand in pockets, legs spread, is actually the intellectual property of the BBC and Doctor Who.
That’s my point. It’s easier to claim IP infringement if you’re working in the same industry, because the imagery can be appropriated in a more obvious way. Since Doctor Who don’t make any Doctor Who miniatures, the only IP they can claim infringement of is David Tenant and Christopher Ecclestone’s vague likenesses.
wallacer:
A part of the problem is that since GW dominates the wargaming market, miniature sculptors are to some extent forced to at least make their figures compatible with GW games (a la Gamezone, Heresy, Black Tree etc.)
slev:
Yes, any discussion on IP, Copyright, Patent & Trademark inevitably involve confusion over international standards, discussions of morally acceptability, socially accepted “fair use” and so on.
The thrust is that society and the spirit of the law says one thing. The letter of the law says another.
With regards to the nor-Dr Who, not-Firefly and so on, it’s a case of exactly what is covered by IP that is the question. The aim here is to be close enough to be useful without going over the line.
I also remember the BBC trying to sue Ainsty(?) for their model “Historic Police Boxes”, as they where blatant TARDIS rip-offs. The judge threw it out since the BBC had got away without paying the police a royalty as they claimed that such items where utility and public domain.
Kera foehunter:
Hmmmmm....
http://graphjam.com/2009/07/16/song-chart-memes-people-think/
Food for thought.
GRNDL
this must be for men they only had 3 circle on how they think :hat off
GRNDL:
Hmmmmm....
http://graphjam.com/2009/07/16/song-chart-memes-people-think/
Food for thought.
GRNDL
this must be for men they only had 3 circle on how they think :hat off
Kera foehunter
You know, I almost typed a comment of a similar vein back at you, but about women, but then I realized that I actually still like women and respect them, despite all their ISSUES, and decided to refrain from that, because I'm a good person. :P :hat off
Kera foehunter:
Ah!!! thanks grndl But a woman think from 27 different way to form her opinion .
I think highly about you guys too !!! you have less thinking to come up with your thoughts
two_heads_talking:
Hmmmmm....
http://graphjam.com/2009/07/16/song-chart-memes-people-think/
Food for thought.
GRNDL
Yep, in the interrogation circles we call that 3 sides to a story.. your side, my side and the truth.. lol
Ah!!!! thanks grndl But a woman think from 27 different way to form her opinion .
I think highly about you guys too !!! you have less thinking to come up with your thoughts
Kera foehunter
Right you see, it's just a bigger circle for what they think they know.. that's all.. bigger numbers don't mean more information, it's just alot of opinionated balogna.. lol (in interrogation circles we call that double speak.. same thing said 27 different ways is still the same thing.. )
snowblizz:
Ah!!!! thanks grndl But a woman think from 27 different way to form her opinion .
I think highly about you guys too !!! you have less thinking to come up with your thoughts
Kera foehunter
That would imply they actually do SOME thinking...
Kera foehunter:
well we get along when you come to the terms that im right!!
that’s why you find that men can’t live without (women no matter how they try)
the 3 replys of men
1- what
2- hum
3-yes
now this will take a while for you guys to reply to
since it out of the 3 answer that men give most often
two_heads_talking:
and you’d have answered quicker, if you hadn’t had to ask yourself that question 27 times right?
and we are so far off-topic now, that it will take a world shift in order to pull it back in line…
Baggronor:
But a woman think from 27 different way to form her opinion .
I think highly about you guys too !!! you have less thinking to come up with your thoughts
Well, lets face it, you may do more thinking but that doesn't mean any of the 24 extra routes are relevant. Hence the oft garbled and utterly illogical guff that passes for female opinion :)
1- what
2- hum
3-yes
This only applies to questions asked by women, as below:
Response no.1- The question was clearly voiced at the same moment as something interesting and has fallen upon deaf ears.
Response no.2- The question was clearly concerning a topic of no relevance whatsoever, and is greeted with the indifference it deserves.
Response no.3- The question clearly wasn't actually a question, :) and so the downtrodden wretch has chosen the only response available to him. Any other answer will result in days (or weeks or months or years) of incessant nagging and recrimination until his foolhardy attempt at free expression is but a bleak memory.
You know, I almost typed a comment of a similar vein back at you, but about women, but then I realized that I actually still like women and respect them, despite all their ISSUES, and decided to refrain from that, because I'm a good person.
I'm not. :)
Kera foehunter:
oh the 24 other step are for when you have at least 3 of you girl friend over and you get into a talking topic about guys shopping !! we can talk at the speed of light
but you guy look like a cow in the headlight crewing cud after 3 seconds of the power chatting.
the reason guys fail to keep up is due to the point it beyond there 3 questions
so there trying to under stand the complex communication
they go into a trance due to the over load of there mind
Xander:
Let’s try to migrate this guy vs. gal discussion to the Off-Topic section if you’d like to continue it. 
As for the real topic at hand, Conversion kits have been talked about in the past. They are certainly a slippery slope. Keep me up tp date on this. 