So now I wonder about the body-parts shown in this ebay-listing linked to below;
Are they genuine Playmobil printed parts (they look just like the original torso from the French soldiers in sets like f.e. 3112) OR are they exact copies of the original, made by using the tampography/pad printing- method ??
{snip}
Btw, how resistant are these custom-prints? Does the print hold well, like with original Playmobil-prints?
Hi,
In your questions lie, I think, two of Geobra's main concerns: people not being able to tell a custom-printed figure from 'the real thing', and the possibility that people will complain to Playmobil about seemingly 'defective' parts if/when a custom-printed figure does not hold up well.
As Henry_Martini has pointed out, Geobra want to protect their Urheberrechte (would 'Intellectual Property Rights' work as an English translation? That's what I'll use in any event...), and they also want to protect their good reputation as a manufacturer of high quality toys. I agree with the points others have made, that Geobra's real concern (when they call the lawyers) comes in when someone else starts trying to make money from a product which is very, very similar to their own. In the case of these custom-printed bodies, obviously the bodies themselves are original parts; the printing is not original, but in many cases it is quite similar to Playmobil's own prints. If a third party (i.e., neither Goebra nor the folks doing the custom printing) then buys a custom-printed figure (or a whole load of them), Geobra will figure they are losing money, because that third party didn't buy the (very similar-looking in general) figures direct from them.
The other problem could arise if the custom printing doesn't survive well. Again, imagine a scenario where someone has bought a bunch of custom-printed figures (not knowing they're not 100% original Playmobil), and then the printing rubs off after their kids have played with the figures for a while. They will get annoyed and perhaps complain to Playmobil, but Playmobil itself can't help them: not original parts means not Playmobil's responsibility. BUT, the person who bought the figures with custom printing is still annoyed with Playmobil, and decides not to buy any more stuff (whether custom or original). Playmobil's reputation has been damaged, and their bottom line is affected.
I don't know for a fact, but I suspect it's these kinds of scenarios and arguments that IPR lawyers work with all the time. So I'm not really surprised that Geobra might try to get the people creating and (more importantly) selling these custom-printed parts.
All that having been said, I am personally very impressed (hah!) with the technical skill and attention to detail that hasa gone into these custom-printed parts. Not my time period and not my approach to customisation, but I do appreciate seeing something like this done well. And they've done it VERY well.
And I also don't
agree with the IPR arguments I suggested Geobra may be working from -- I'm just setting out the way I suspect Geobra are thinking.
My (much more than)
-worth...
Cheers,
AndrewL
