Sad Recast Realization :(

It is a terrible thing to steal someones art. I remember hearing how bad it was for Lillycat. I haven't seen the huge amounts of the recasts out there but can imagine how bad it is... I think buying direct from your artists and letting them know how much you treasure their art is all you can do. That and educate people about recasts, try to starve them from making money from them as much as possible.

 

They save on everything: employees, security at work, salaries, material, quality (material & construction), etc.
It's all about the looks. If it looks similar to the original, no one would ever suspect lower quality. Even worse: first thought of people might be as well 'and company XYZ is selling their dolls completely overpriced!'

It's not really recognizable visually on the photos.
But you feel it.

Beautiful example:
If you want to buy a tulle skirt which usually costs 40$ at your local store by brand X and on the internet there is store Y selling one for 10$ and looks the exact same - which one would you buy? The one which costs less, because it looks the same.
Receiving and touching that skirt then will tell you that this isn't a high quality tulle skirt - it's made of the net that prevents flies from getting into your room.

It's all about the looks. No more.

 

I was really sad when Triffony's Sphinx was recasted. It really pissed me off :/ A one person doll company gets hit very hard like that, and these con men don't care as long as they make a profit, smh

 

Years ago, when the ponyexpress still rode and almost knowone had ever heard of recasts, I bought a "second hand" limited Soom doll for a rather high secondary marketplace. They even had a false certificate on every pic.

Still so angry about that.

I was scammed. The current crooks on ebay more often than not are not passing for legit and do not ask full price.

 

As an artist myself, it breaks my heart to see other artists' work stolen. I can't imagine working so hard on something and then have someone else rip you off without credit. It's absolutely terrible

 

Last day I was scared, I bought a Darak Remy in secondhand and some hours after, I discovered she was available in recast, I had a big fear...

 

Yuck, I know what you mean, I have had experience with knock-off dresses before and definitely know about that, the cloth, lace, even the print on the dress I was able to handle and see in-person was drastically different than the original (which I myself, had one of). I've never seen or handled a recast before so I don't know what their quality is like, but from the lowered price I can only imagine it wouldn't be anywhere close to a legit, I still have to wonder about the production process cause paying for materials, rent, bills, and employees would still be costly (unless I'm correct in my assumption that they use sweatshop labor or, God forbid, child labor...)

 

it's not just the fact that a lot of them are lower quality, it's that even if the quality is as good or better than the original, they have still stolen the art and the artist has lost business/income. some artists are living so close to the edge that this can drive them out of business, and then all their new ideas are all lost to us.

 

[QUOTE="auntbear, post: 12232505, member: 13596"... this can drive them out of business, and then all their new ideas are all lost to us.[/QUOTE]

I can't speak to the quality of recasts, though it makes sense that the recasts would be made from the cheapest materials with no regard for toxicity. I can speak to the loss of doll artists though. When looking through the list of dollmakers, I was disheartened to find so many websites that had disappeared and so many lines of dolls that are no longer available. To be sure, not all of them could have been put out of business by recasts, but cheaper dolls must certainly contribute overall.

 

I have personally had work stolen by a large company. I used to design a lot and when this happened, I became numb on the subject.. it sucked. I stopped putting my work out to the public and now only sell to close friends and established customers. I still get inquires about my items and I stopped being public over 10 years ago. It is nice how many people still know my name out there.
My work was fashion doll related, not BJD.
I hate to imagine how this gal feels about her dolls. Lillycat is such a unique style of dolls.

 

I am curious to know how many other doll artists have left public view as a result of stolen work (to stay on topic: recasts). It saddens me and makes me want to do something.

I did a cursory bit of research on recast quality, and have determined that it is too risky to buy a recast regardless of outward appearance.
Logic dictates that low cost results from cut costs, and resin quality will affect the chemical breakdown rate. The most inexpensive type of resin, polyester resin, needs the addition of fiberglass for stability, and is toxic to process and according to artmolds.com, "necessitate the institution of specific, often expensive, environmental safety measures [to] balance off ease of use, low cost, and positive physical characteristics." Would a recast/bootlegger worry about employee health?

According to armelia on another discussion thread (Recasts and Bootlegging), (she has been casting in resin for years), "Certain brands (or types) of resin are also more likely to cause people to have allergic reactions, either in the processing or even in customizing the finished dolls. If the resins aren't cured properly, there can also be a gradual leeching of chemicals to the surface."

Regardless of the health risks to the purchaser, or the collector's confidence in buying secondhand, the most damage is done to the artist's tenacity.
So I want to quote Cherylsdolls, who said “... I think buying direct from your artists and letting them know how much you treasure their art is all you can do. That and educate people about recasts...."

One last thought:
When in a couple of generations my grandkid's kids bring the bjd they've inherited to Antique's Roadshow, the last thing I want them to hear is..."Sorry, this is a recast. It's worth less than the purchase price. If it had been an original, then it would have been worth thousands...."

Art appreciates......I appreciate art.

 

It sure is pretty bad thing to do but hey, look at the bright side - now I googled Lillycat and I know a bit more about the doll. Definitely I am not saying I'm pro-recast; nevertheless, as I read about the topic, I search for the artists and get to know them. So, at least they got me thinking about them and being their fan.

 

SOOM is one of my favorite companies, I see a ton of recasts for them, particularly of their beast lines. Been seeing more and more of them pop up too.

 

Cosplay is NOT the same as recasts, dear. I'm a cosplayer as are my dolls. You saying all cosplayers are thieves? LOL

 

according to the newest supreme court ruling, in the USA, yes, it is...it is actually banned in some states....

copyright infringement is copyright infringement. there is no gray areas....you either have permission or you dont....it's the same reason you don't see fan made cosplay sold at most conventions. it's illegal.

 

Knock on wood I've never had a recast problem. I wouldn't know what to look for, when I first heard about them I just heard stuff like they reek of resin fumes or let off some sort of weird discharge. I'm not sure if that's factual or just a scare tactic but I rather not take risks.

 

Please do your homework before spreading obviously false information. Cosplay is not banned, and cosplayers are not copyright violators. A business mass producing costumes without a license is, but the clothing designs themselves aren't copyrighted, which is why you have items like this that are perfectly acceptable to sell. The "newest supreme court ruling" was "Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project," which has nothing to do with Cosplay, and the claims that it was ruling cosplay to be illegal were clickbait articles from over a year ago. While a case was heard (almost a year ago) that could have had implications on copyright and cosplay, the ruling did not make it illegal anywhere. If it had, not only would a simple Google search turn up dozens, if not hundreds, of posts on the matter, but you wouldn't be seeing this, this, this, or this for sale anymore (much less as new products).

Now, if an Etsy shop is selling doll t-shirts with iron-on decals of Hello Kitty or Stitch on them? Yes, that and that alone is copyright violation, as they have used copyrighted material (produced by Sanrio or Disney, respectively, or representing a character owned by them) directly for profit. But if an Etsy shop is selling a hoodie with cat ears and a pink bow? That's not covered by copyright.

So why am I spending the time on answering this seemingly unrelated-to-dolls myth?

Well, that's pretty much what recasters like to do. They use quick little lies to trick people into believing them. ("People who are anti-recast are elitists," "they don't want poor people to have dolls," "I have (insert disability of choice here) and I deserve nice things too," "anti-recasters look down on 'cheap' dolls, they only accept you if you have (brand) dolls.") Lies that can be disproven with just a little research, but are designed, like the cosplay claim, to pray on emotions instead of reason. They have to use emotion, because, like the case above, the facts simply aren't on their side.

And unlike cosplay and fashion designs, dolls are copyrighted. They're considered "art" by the law in the US, and covered under copyright protections. Clothes (including cosplay) are considered functional, and not covered by copyright, but dolls are not in the least bit functional and therefore are. Cosplayers are not breaking the law, and are not banned anywhere, but bootleg recast dolls? Those are illegal, and we as a community need to make sure this is a clearly understood topic. It's not some fantasy grey area like "cosplay," "fan art," "store brand cereal," or the like. It's theft, it's illegal, and people need to be educated on the truth, not fed silly little lies to prey on their emotions.

 

Dispute Over Cheerleader Uniforms Could Have a Chilling Effect on Cosplay - Lexology

varsity won its case....

 

If so that's just HORRIBLE & a win for the big corporations. Anyway, cosplay is NOT the same as recasting in any way. A possible parallel might be those who make knockoff copies of designer bags, shoes, etc - that are then sold as the real thing.

 

That is the closest parallel here, in spite of @necropteluate trying to stir things up by claiming cosplay is affected (and, like the pro-theft side, ignoring all evidence to the contrary). Designer bags, shoes, jewelry and the like are not considered "functional objects," and the specific print (ie the Louis Vitton design) are also protected under copyright, so those bootlegs are the same as recasts, but with larger companies enforcing their protections.

Cosplay is not illegal. Bootlegging is. If one isn't able to make that distinction, then I'm not sure I trust their judgement on other topics.