Anatomy of a Chinese Rip-Off
|Bootlegging in the designer toy scene doesn’t really come as a surprise, but this series called Dolaso, from GUANGZHOU YIYUAN ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY.CO.,LTD. is one of the most brazen rip-offs I’ve seen. Every single facet of this figure is a rip-off. They appear to have pretty much used the platform of the (hardly original) Monskey toy and paired it with Dunny and MAD*L designs by DEPH, Tim Tsui, Mimic and MAD (among others). The concept of the series as vinyl toy-like audio speakers has already been done by Headphonies. Adding insult to injury, Dolaso pilfered bits of the logos for Infectious and Mimoco. Finally, this may be pure conjecture, but the series name “Dolaso” is a total infringement upon Brent Nolasco, and I’m pretty sure Charlie Sheen has a trademark on “Winners”. A shady factory sub-contractor is suspected.
So what can we do? [Thanks to @madtoydesign @spankystokes & @rotocasted for the conversation that lead to this post.]
Hello
Wish you were here… oh no hold on. About those toys, where can I get one theyre greaaaat! Yes thats sarcasm. This kinda thing has been going on for years, I used to talk to a guy that never released his toy because so many fakes of it entered the market before he could even promote it. It sucks for sure, but what can you do about it? How many fake Laus, Kaws, Adidas, Nike, Movie, CDs etc flood the market everyday? As one of the artists “ripped off” it annoys me that they could make money off something I really didnt make any off, but thats kinda bitter. What really annoys me about it is that they are always so badly done, if ya gonna fake something at least do it well. People today are too lazy nowadays lolbut seriously all you can do is warn people that these things are fakes and dont buy them. It does however shine a light on the fact that the vinyl scene has become saturated with throw away toy ideas, that these toys are starting to look like a mass produced kids meal toy and people are in it for the money not the love nowadays.
best regards
mimic
ps…
What was my prize? or did it get lost in the post?
mimic
(Dolaso Design Challenge Winner 2011)
All I can say is wow. Takes more time to make a fake?
Hello
I am the lawyer of GUANGZHOU YIYUAN ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Here i have to mention three points to the one who posted this article:
1) Are you 100% sure we didn’t get any license for these designs?
2) Even you are 100% sure we didn’t get any license, is there any law in which country prove we copied the designs of someone? Or did you get any legal document saying ours is a copy?
3) If you didn’t get any legal document which saying we are copying, but you post this article in public and show our company name and website linkage in this article, your behaviour is calumniation.
Therefore, i hope you can delete this article, if you keep it, i will send a lawyer letter to you.
Hi SL,
My name is Jeremy, and I posted this story.
1. Yes. I direct your attention upward to Mad Toy Design and Mimic. These artists have stated publicly that your company used their designs without their permission.
2. Well, yes, there are things called “copyright laws”. There are also things called “ethics”. Both of these exist in most countries to different extents. Regardless, one does not need a legal document to say that yours is a copy. One merely needs a passing knowledge of the history and chronology of designer toys and a pair of eyeballs to see that Kidrobot produced toys with the designs pictured above before you did.
3. You accusing me of calumniation is, in itself, a calumniation. But I applaud your use of a 50-cent word. (I’m a word nerd!)
Feel free to send me that letter from your lawyer. I am very interested in copyright law and international toy production. I’m sure it will be totally educational. P.S. Be sure to send me a copy of the licenses you got from the artists who created those designs, too. Cheers!
I applaud for you, 5mins, stand, you use 100-cent words, wonderful.
I reply you:
1. Pls give me the copyright documents or some other documents for the designs you mentioned above, to support what you are saying.
2. I think you are not only an designer, but also a judge, a jury, a lawman, You can judge people without trial on guilt, which we absolutely have to say you is a Gaddafi , forgive me saying this. but this is the truth.
3.Pls read thoroughly the things you called “copyright law” or “ethics” in most countries: USA, EU, JAPAN, CHINA, HK, pls, If you find where we are breaking the law, pls you sue in these countries. In fact, some company you mentioned above told us in China , but they are just a loser.
4. This is a law society, pls use law to speak, thanks for your attention to us, thanks for the one who behind you.
I think you are afraid of competitive, you are the one who really afraid of innovation.
By the way, i am not good at English, i feel very honored you give me 50-cent, Pity you can’t read Chinese, otherwise i think we can discuss freely what is copyright or ethic. I don’t mind to SHARE my knowledge without charging you copyright fee.
Rather than asking me to give you copyright documents, why don’t you volunteer the names of the artists who designed your figures?
Your English is good. You can read that two of the artists left comments that they did not give your company permission to use their designs in your toys.
Your green Dolaso uses a design created by the artist DEPH and produced by Kidrobot in 2006: http://www.rotocasted.com/toy/13293/?number=1&seed=1006bddd-9234-48ce-91de-a84b5ca4e651
Your red Dolaso uses a design created by Mimic and produced by Kidrobot in 2009: http://www.rotocasted.com/toy/2665/?number=5&seed=475f7edb-122f-4410-8de6-ceae6a69a1fb
Your black Ninja Dolaso uses a design created by Jeremy Madl and produced by Solid in 2008: http://www.rotocasted.com/toy/3722/?number=64&seed=4cc380a7-471e-4943-9a85-b248cb890996
I am happy to contact the artists and retrieve proof of origin for their designs. No one is looking for a lawsuit (and indeed, I am not sure it is possible to sue outside the country).
But since you are bringing this up, please provide your contact information, and I will give it to the artists and companies involved in case they are interested in taking further action.
haha, just looked back into this to find the last comments, what a bizarre twist.
Any news on what happend? I still see these every now and then, just had to commment on somebody’s FB who put the Mad Barbarian rip off on ebay!
Jeremy, I think a “plonk” would have done, but I really enjoyed reading the answers 😉
@deadlemming, thanks for bringing this one back up! Nothing ever came of it. I certainly didn’t receive a letter from their lawyers. I was kind of hoping they’d send me something. I was excited to establish contact with bonafide Chinese bootleggers!