quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
Prints of trademarked and copyrighted material are absolutely illegal -- any artist that produces them is definitely breaking the law -- there isn't even a gray area there.

On topic -- I've never heard of these cards.

quote:

Originally posted by Tattoox:

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
Prints of trademarked and copyrighted material are absolutely illegal -- any artist that produces them is definitely breaking the law -- there isn't even a gray area there.

On topic -- I've never heard of these cards.

Because they're part of the illegal underbelly of the art world.

Well, some people state that it is legal if less than 100 are produced. I use to read when it came to statues, that less than 10 was okay.

Illegal or not, the license holders are not prosecuting. It's been going on for years.

There was a time that California was prosecuting those that sold promo cards.

Call the cops, because I have bought prints, sold promos, and have driven over the speed limit. Looks like most of us will be going to jail.

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:

quote:

Originally posted by Tattoox:

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:
Prints of trademarked and copyrighted material are absolutely illegal -- any artist that produces them is definitely breaking the law -- there isn't even a gray area there.

On topic -- I've never heard of these cards.

Because they're part of the illegal underbelly of the art world.

Well, some people state that it is legal if less than 100 are produced. I use to read when it came to statues, that less than 10 was okay.

Illegal or not, the license holders are not prosecuting. It's been going on for years.

There was a time that California was prosecuting those that sold promo cards.

Call the cops, because I have bought prints, sold promos, and have driven over the speed limit. Looks like most of us will be going to jail.

Uhh. . . why would I call the cops. . . I'm not making any judgements here. . . Just stating facts.

While a lot of this activity isn't pursued by the license holder some of it is, in fact very recently (in the last few months) a license holder went through a big show and stop the sale of a pile of prints and originals of materials they owned the licenses to.
No one got sued (to my knowledge), but some people did lose gigs over it (reportedly). . .

There isn't even a gray area here. . . 1 is not legal, let alone 10 or 100. . .

quote:

Originally posted by David R:
The cards I have seen are

1- Captain America
2- Wonder Woman
3- Han Solo
4- Darth Talon
5- Red Skull
6- Wonder Woman
7- Black Lantern Batman
8- Slave Leia
9- Catwoman
10- Cyborg Maul
11- The Hulk
12- Ms. Marvel
13- Supergirl
14- Iron Patriot
15- Yoda
16- Hawkgirl
17- Iron Man
18- Thanos
19- Bat Woman
20- Darth Vader

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I've never seen or heard of these cards, but if they lack copyright it puts them in the catagory of novelty items at best. By that I mean, they will never be worth more than what you paid for them and they can be printed forever, so the production number is unknown.

In short, they have zero value.

That doesn't mean that they might not be attractive or have enough fans to create a market. I believe it is the responsibility of license holders to enforce their rights and if they don't want to do it they are only hurting themselves. As long as buyers know that these types of cards are illegal and therefore worthless, they can spend their money as they choose.

Just don't confuse the issue, no copyright means no pricing, no value. This has always been true in the card industry and as webjon said, its not a gray area.

quote:

Originally posted by allender:
I watch the pawn and storage shows, and most of the contents of a storage room go straight to the nearest dumpster. They only show film for the interesting stuff. Auction Hunters even started with the message "these are the guys' most valuable finds".

On the whole, trading card collections have not done well.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
Well this thread was started to talk about some cards that apparently were produced without a copyright permission. As I said, these are novelity items and if collectors want to knowingly mingle unlicensed cards with their genuinely produced cards that is their choice. If they are unknowingly doing it, they are being scammed.

Cards or prints reproduced without proper licenses are generally poorly made and will not appreciate in value. They are counterfeit merchandise. Is there a market for such merchandise? Sure there is! Just look at all the fake designer bags and clothes and bootleg DVDs. People buy them all the time. Are they as good as having the original? No. If your girlfriend takes her diamond engagement ring to be appraised and she finds out you gave her a CZ will she be happy?

No matter how you may try to spin it, unlicensed cards hurt manufacturers who have to pay huge sums for the permission to make authentic cards. They should be enforcing their rights, but that's up to them. If people want to buy unlicensed stuff that's up to them also, but I would never advocate it because the items are just not genuine collectibles. They are fakes and that makes them worthless, even if there is a market for fakes.