Epic Merchandising Legal Issues

[Spartan 051]

The problem acquired when an artist by Emilio J. Lopez made a Marcus Fenix toy

He made a doll out of a mummy (Munny is a seven-inch blank toy from Kid Robot) for his cousin who is a big fan of Gears of War

But i guess Epic had a big issue with with the use of the logos (GOW logo and the Crimson Omen)

When you read the letter it sounds like epic doesnt have a problem with the use of the character but had a big problem with the use of the logos that were placed on the figure and on the box

My guess is that bungie would be like epic in that you cant use the logos but doesnt mind the use of charactes, models, and armor. So i think they would not have a problem with the use or the creation of armor.

I just was looking around for models about gears and i came across this and thought this might help

Heres the letters that they sent to Lopez:

 

[Vexona]

Cease and desists are always a friendly reminder not to use trademarks even for something small scale It may seem aggressive but there was an implied authenticity/affiliation with EPIC, so I'm not surprised they gave him a nudge. I'm fairly sure they are launching their own line of toys very soon and don't want people to believe this is a prototype or mock-up of their product.

I agree, the game companies are typically very cool with a little hero worship and ingenuity, but they have an obligation to maintain strict regulations with the use of the registered trademarks.

I saw on his website (the artist's) that everything was resolved amicably.

(Edit: I also saw these IP lawyers were in Raleigh; our company's legal representation is there too >< I kinda want to hire these guys now...they overnight stuff!)

 

[23Magnum]

While this is a good example of IP law, especially trademarks, this bares little weight on people who make armor here at these forums. Now if we were throwing 'Halo' text on everything and the logo as well, then we'd have a similar problem.

The biggest problem we might ever have here is where our 'resources' come from. Those are definitely not allowed, at least according to IP law. It's just understood that we not refer to them as such and also not claim them as our own true creations.

Vex is right on track. The most any of us would see is a cease and desist letter, if we ever see anything, but usually those are just the warnings.

I'd get into more specific detail, but not here.

 

[Sean Bradley]

Thanks for posting this, I've never seen one of these letters before, and I hope to never see one in person.