bjdbaby? Probably not legit, but asking just in case...

[Wardah]

My stance on the recasts is that the people/company doing them are pirates and I have a very strong dislike of pirates. I've had my published novels/novellas pirated and that pissed me off to no end. Especially when you consider that some of the titles were selling for only $2.99. Hell, I've even had one one scumbag pirate one of my free reads! How low can you go to pirate a free read?

I have 2 dolls that are grail dolls. Unidoll Ark and Impldoll Miguel The Demon Hunter. Unidoll, as a company is gone and Miguel was limited to 100 worldwide. I couldn't get either one when they were available. I wouldn't purchase either as a recast despite neither one being available (except through the second-hand market) because those doing the recasts are pirates and I absolutely refuse to do anything to support or encourage pirates to continue on their scumbag ways.

Yeah, I've got pretty strong feelings about pirates.

It isn't like there is some kind of international consortium of pirates. It is highly unlikely those that sell recasts are the same people that pirate your writings. Tho I do wonder how it is even possible to pirate something that is free?

[Dirili]

Tho I do wonder how it is even possible to pirate something that is free?

By selling it as their own item even though they don't have any rights to profit from it.

What drives me nuts is when people pirate your work and sell it for MORE than what you're selling it for, which happens to me on IMVU all the time... I always price my meshes reasonably so that the people that have their own shops can make a reasonable profit of their own when they use them. So unless people just don't know the item is stolen, there's no reason for anyone to derive from a pirated copy of one of my meshes. People just steal them and submit them hoping that people will buy their item and not realize it's using a stolen mesh.

[iron_dog]

It isn't like there is some kind of international consortium of pirates. It is highly unlikely those that sell recasts are the same people that pirate your writings. Tho I do wonder how it is even possible to pirate something that is free?

No, they very likely aren't the same people, but they suffer from the same mentality of using somebody's work without permission to make money for themselves because they're "not hurting anyone" or "they just want to give people who can't afford *insert item being pirated here* a chance to buy it cheaper". There is no reasonable excuse for the pirating of the free read except to get themselves a larger sale price buy including it in their "bundles".

I can spend several months or even a year writing a novel (depending on length) so I really feel for the sculptors who spend the same amount of time breathing life into their sculpt only to have somebody steal their work. Pirates don't care about who they hurt or what they pirate as long as they make the easy money.

[Wardah]

It isn't like there is some kind of international consortium of pirates. It is highly unlikely those that sell recasts are the same people that pirate your writings. Tho I do wonder how it is even possible to pirate something that is free?

No, they very likely aren't the same people, but they suffer from the same mentality of using somebody's work without permission to make money for themselves because they're "not hurting anyone" or "they just want to give people who can't afford *insert item being pirated here* a chance to buy it cheaper". There is no reasonable excuse for the pirating of the free read except to get themselves a larger sale price buy including it in their "bundles".

I can spend several months or even a year writing a novel (depending on length) so I really feel for the sculptors who spend the same amount of time breathing life into their sculpt only to have somebody steal their work. Pirates don't care about who they hurt or what they pirate as long as they make the easy money.

You see I dunno why the mass produced BJD designers get put on some kind of pedestal compared to, for example the designers for playline dolls like Monster High. If the recasters can make them for so cheap so why can't the official companies? surely the sculpting work doesn't cost them that much? I am not talking about the small time artists who make art dolls. I mean the big companies like Soom and Leeke. I have never bought a recast since playline dolls have been serving my purposes but I can understand why. Especially if they do colors that the regular one wasn't available in.

[Evelien]

Wow. Eek. "They're a big company, they make enough money, so it's okay to steal from them"?! What a rotten attitude... And "surely the sculpting process doesn't cost so much"?!, wow, I wonder how you would feel if you were an artist and people would say that about YOUR work.

This thread is starting to make me feel a bit angry, I am very sorry but the way stealing is explained away is creeping me out. I suppose you'd also steal from a big supermarket because 'if another supermarket can sell items cheaper, why can't they?', right? No, ofcourse not, you wouldn't have the guts because you'd actually physically have to steal something and you KNOW it's wrong. Ordering a stolen copy online feels safe and it's easy... But does that make it less wrong?!

[Kirahfaye]

I'm with Evelien on this one - I think this thread has run it's course. The turn toward a flippant attitude about piracy - which is stealing - is getting me a bit angry, too. Theft is theft. Supporting those who steal, under the guise of "it's less expensive" or "they're a big company" or whatever "justification" one can create make said one a party to a crime.

[Wardah]

Oh I wasn't saying piracy wasn't wrong. I just don't consider it stealing. Stealing makes entities actually lose property that used to be in their possession. (I got my phone stolen and the thing that made me the most upset was that I was without a phone) Most of the people who support piracy would not have bought the legit version in the first place, whether it be because they can't afford it or they don't feel it is worth it. They just would have done without. I just wonder why these recasters can't hire a sculptor to come up with their own molds and offer inexpensive real ABJDs and take the community by storm. I'd love to see the ABJD community get a shake up and maybe become less "hoity toity".

It also irritates me when people put ABJDs and the people that design them on some kind of pedestal just because they are "Asian". It smacks of the whole "oh Anime and Manga are so much better than crappy Amurrican cartoons and comics umg kawaii desu!" mentality. Nobody cared about the "poor artist's feelings" over the hand cast Monster High torsos.

[Evelien]

You're right about that; when that website was promoted here, I was highly surprised that nobody protested against it. Double standards much..?

[OkamiKodomo]

I just wonder why these recasters can't hire a sculptor to come up with their own molds and offer inexpensive real ABJDs and take the community by storm. I'd love to see the ABJD community get a shake up and maybe become less "hoity toity".

Actually, Bobobie did exactly that. From my understanding (don't take this as fact, as all my information is second hand, gleaned from blogs) Dennis used to work for another company, and then left, to start up Bobobie. Their dolls are among the cheapest on the market, and prove that quality dolls can in fact be produced in a price range that is affordable to the common masses. (Their posing ability could use work, but then again, so can Soom and Iplehouse's posing, and they're some of the priciest.) He was originally accused of recasting his old company's molds, though as far as I know, this was proven to be either a false claim, or the doll was never actually released. I'm not sure.

If anything, the sudden surge of affordable dolls made the community even more uptight, with the dreaded elitists making the cry that the dolls were "cheap and ugly" and I've even seen claims that they're not "real" ABJD. I follow some of the BJD confession blogs, and I see so many people saying these exact things, as well as that these companies offering layaway and the less expensive dolls, are ruining the hobby, because (and I quote) "now everyone can have a doll"

[Dirili]

It also irritates me when people put ABJDs and the people that design them on some kind of pedestal just because they are "Asian". It smacks of the whole "oh Anime and Manga are so much better than crappy Amurrican cartoons and comics umg kawaii desu!" mentality. Nobody cared about the "poor artist's feelings" over the hand cast Monster High torsos.

If anything, the sudden surge of affordable dolls made the community even more uptight, with the dreaded elitists making the cry that the dolls were "cheap and ugly" and I've even seen claims that they're not "real" ABJD. I follow some of the BJD confession blogs, and I see so many people saying these exact things, as well as that these companies offering layaway and the less expensive dolls, are ruining the hobby, because (and I quote) "now everyone can have a doll"

Yep, those are the things that drive me nuts the most.

You know, I would actually be happy if I had rl friends that were into bjds. Would be cool to have someone nearby. I can't understand the mentality of people who are upset that anyone could have a doll. I mean they can still have their "better" more expensive dolls to lord over their friends anyway if they need to feel superior. Their friends with the cheaper dolls would probably even appreciate the expensive dolls that they cant' afford even more if they owned their own cheaper dolls.