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Post by brissybeater on May 9, 2012 6:55:43 GMT
Just letting everyone know of a bit of a breach of copyright on Zombie Tools in the U.S by Global Gear Australia. www.globalgear.com.au/weapons/ex ... ie-machete A fair copy of Zombie Tool Backyard Bone Machete. I contacted Zombie Tools, they said "oh well, copying is a form of flattery". They are a small business who really cant wage an international copyright lawsuit so not much they can do. And one wouldnt say "rip off" if it wasnt for the fact the only difference seems to be a G-10 handle instead of aluminium slabs and no "ZT" mark on the pommel section. Still, I wouldnt get the Global Gear version ....... ever ...... Zombie Tool or your a Fool.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on May 9, 2012 11:01:53 GMT
Hm... Yeh, often times where I hear people cry 'Rip Off' I'm skeptical... a lot of sword designs go back pretty far and a lot of people have done similar work... its hard to claim its a copy of anther's specific sword. This however is a blatant outright theft of a rip off... down to the theme and everything. Poor form Global Gear.
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Post by Odingaard on May 9, 2012 12:42:34 GMT
It's poor form for a business. I don't agree with Global Gear doing this, just like I did not agree with what Windlass Steelcrafts did with Del Tin years ago.
For those who do not know: Way back in the day, Del Tin used to sell their swords though Windlass. Then, Windlass only bought Del Tin blades and used their guards, pommels, and grips in order to save money. Lastly, Windlass kicked Del Tin out of the picture and just started using the Del Tin designs mixed up in different ways, and in quite a few cases, just made the exact same designs. To this day, many Windlass Steelcrafts swords are based in part on similar Del Tin designs.
However, the fact of the matter is that copyrighted designs might not be copyrighted in all countries. Also, many countries do not observe copyright laws of other countries. This type of stuff will sadly keep going on until the end of time, especially in secular markets where collectors want an alternative to more expensive items - be it watches, purses, or swords. :cry:
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Post by chrisperoni on May 9, 2012 13:52:32 GMT
on a related note- what does everyone think of the Hanwei Tac Wak / Munetoshi Tac Wak copy?
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George
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Post by George on May 9, 2012 21:39:22 GMT
Copy? Id call it a poor rip off. Seems the copys are always sub par compared to the original...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2012 2:56:33 GMT
“One item I want to make clear on is this old rumor that I did nothing to get Del Tin swords placed in the old Museum Replica’s Limited catalogs, that it was all Fulvio. Hmmm, wonder why I did all that traveling to England, Germany, Sweden, etc. and looked at all the museums, and why Museum Replicas paid me to do it? I guess they liked my pretty face.”
“When we started with Del Tin there were three brothers, and they were making a few swords. All of the swords were copied from swords in the Stibbert Museum in Florence. When I first saw them they were being sold by a German firm, but because all of the swords were from that museum, I figured out that the outfit that made them was probably Italian. Flavio was the eldest brother, and he was the one who knew, and liked swords. Fulvio was the business head, and Maurizzo was the youngest. We put some of their swords in the MRL catalog, and they made a lot of swords that I personally drafted up and sent them. After about five years, there was a blowup, and Flavio and Maurizzo left. Then a couple of years later, Fulvio made some swords on his own. We put some of them in the MRL catalog, but usually they didn’t do very well. Fulvio didn’t understand the American market, plus I think he kept getting his guards and pommels too large. Flavio knew swords pretty well, and had kept them to the proper size.”
“After we sold the company to Windlass Steel Crafts of India, I knew it was just a matter of time before Del Tin cut us off. I was in Nuremberg when Fulvio asked Sudhir [of Wondlass Steelcrafts] to make blades for him, and Sudhir refused. There was a bad move though when a MRL wholesale catalog was produced using older photos of actual Del Tin swords, when they should have actually been of the new Windlass Blades. Our art department screwed up badly on that, but since the wholesale operation was never launched, it really didn’t make any difference. But then Fulvio started to tell us how to run out catalog, and that was more than any of us would stand.”www.thearma.org/spotlight/hrinterview3.htmSeems like just recently MRL was being lauded here and Clyde Hollis got a new one ripped in his butt over the whole "bad form" routine for wanting to copy copies of swords Windlass had often copied from someone else? :mrgreen: It was a poll of interest and got quite a lot of positive response, despite the copyright debate. Yes, Eddie Floyd and others did assemble some Del Tin blades with generic fittings and I am sure there is more unsaid by all parties but it usually reads a " He said they said" type of circular storytelling. Both Fulvio and Hank had visited myArmoury at one point but I never saw them conversing with each other. The Fulvio visit was 2003 iirc. What other companies openly make movie swords without license? There are several I think. Is Global Gear still an advertiser at SBG? What does that mean to the whole ball of wax? Do Zombie Tools in the U.S support SBG? Offer any advertising? I know I am a pain in the ass devil's advocate but it seems like calling fouls varies on which way the air temperature goes.
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on May 11, 2012 8:12:17 GMT
Yikes. The finish on their "version" isn't even attractive....
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Post by brissybeater on May 11, 2012 13:33:58 GMT
I think the ZT guys might try and visit our forums, they have heard good things about SBG none the less. I think they are busy being they are more popular now and its just a handfull of guys out of an industrial garage.
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Post by Madax132 on May 12, 2012 14:57:52 GMT
Their version looks like a hunk of semprini. Bad business ethics as well.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 12, 2012 15:22:21 GMT
it was ok IMO until they said "designed by global gear" blatant outright lie, they should have said something like inspired by the zombie tools bone machete ext.
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Post by John Greybeard on May 12, 2012 15:41:21 GMT
I remember Jeff/BrotherBonzai's reply when I remarked that I was working on a wolf's head pommel very (maybe uncomfortably) similar to one he had posted: (paraphrasing here, from my increasingly feeble memory...)
And I wholeheartedly agree.
But then a rip-off is a rip-off, and thats very different.
A public recognition of one's sources of influence and inspiration only give proper credit where its due, as well as enhancing both of the craftsman's integrity
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 12, 2012 16:08:21 GMT
as long as credit is given, thats one thing, but to steal a design and advertise it as ones own is totally distasteful, i wouldnt buy their version if it was 50$ and twice as good as the original they stole it from.
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George
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Post by George on May 13, 2012 1:24:47 GMT
Well that's just silly, your stating that if something were half the price and BETTER than original you wouldn't purchase it on the simple fact it was a stolen idea? I know your trying to stick behind ZT and that's a very admirable thing to do but in the end of the day, if something was better, why wasn't the original? Anyway bit off topic lol
As for Global Gear. Hmmm. Honest, educated un-biased opinion? They're over priced, terrible QC and alot of shoddy practice (corner cutting, money saving ideas and now this). They have great customer service though so that's a plus.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 13, 2012 1:27:45 GMT
it may seem odd to you Joe, but that's how i feel about honesty, an idea is an idea, and even if improved upon, the improver should show proper respect towards the original idea. Intellectual Property. Keep one thing in mind, there is always room for improvement, even on the originals (zombie tools) but at the end of the day, the Urban Bone Machete is still the Urban Bone Machete, invented by Zombietools. Even if someone else makes a better quality look alike, it is still just that, a look alike.
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Post by Anders on May 13, 2012 15:43:08 GMT
I'll be frank: This machete-thingy Global Gear is selling is suspiciously similar to the machete-thingy Zombie Tools are selling. You'd think they could at least have lifted one of their decomissioned designs.
That said, I don't see how this is more upsetting then, for example, the kind of shenanigans I've come to expect from Darksword Armoury. (Whom everyone tends to be weirdly forgiving towards for some reason.)
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 13, 2012 16:08:28 GMT
what do you mean about DSA, i havent really seen them claim any designs to be their own
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on May 13, 2012 16:45:10 GMT
The Global Gear machete is, to me, the most obvious and blatant rip off I have seen in a long time. This is an industry that is rife with such things, to be sure... but not only is the design totally stolen from Zombie Tools... but so is the marketing and premise. Its too much.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 13, 2012 18:12:02 GMT
at first glance i would have thought they were selling a pre owned actual zombie tools blade, thats how much of a blatant ripoff it is
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on May 13, 2012 22:48:50 GMT
Eh, you're walking iffy ground here with DSA. He has copied quite a few designs, but (and correct me if I am wrong) he has never claimed ownership over said designs as GG is doing here.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on May 13, 2012 23:03:28 GMT
im with you Aaron, i cant cite a single time DSA has ever claimed ownership over copied designs
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