A while back I sold one of my helmets. The buyer, a man in Spain named Beatriz Álvarez de Lucas (ebay username: beamoviesculpt) is now selling a HALO helmet on ebay that is an obvious recast. You can see my helmet(s) at this listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180496243602. You can also see them in my build thread or my occasional for sale thread.
Here's "his": http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220593404231 If you look through his feedback history, you can see where he bought the original from me.
When I sent him a message telling him that I hadn't given him any permission to recast my helmet and asking him to remove the listing, here's what he sent in reply:
To paraphrase, he says that recasting happens, so there's no reason he shouldn't do it too. Note also the none-too-subtle threat that he'll report my work to Microsoft/Bungie. On one hand, he's right. There's nothing I can do. While I have no legal recourse, I do have an idea.
This is where you come in, good people of the 405th: If you've got a few minutes, check out his auction at the above link. While you're there, click on "ask seller a question." Then ask him a question. Ideally it should be a question completely unrelated to the item, but it really doesn't matter what you ask. The object is to fill his inbox with so much spam that selling recasts of my helmet will be such a pain in the ass that he won't bother next time. It will only take you a moment and I could really use the help. Better still would be to load up the auction with bogus bids, but I can't ask anyone to do that.
Either way, if you come across this guy, for my sake, please don't buy anything from him. For your sake, please don't sell anything to him.
Thanks for your help. Together we can at least annoy the hell out of one recaster.
Here's "his": http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220593404231 If you look through his feedback history, you can see where he bought the original from me.
When I sent him a message telling him that I hadn't given him any permission to recast my helmet and asking him to remove the listing, here's what he sent in reply:
Dear thorconsignments,
- Hi. Do you have any license or permission from Bungie or Microsoft to
make a Master Chief helmet? If you have it, please send me a copy, and I´ll
write to Microsoft to verifyng that the information it´s real. In other
way, I don´t need your permission to sell a helmet that I buy on Ebay. If
you are sculptor, you have to know that anyone can buy this helmet and
casting after. Many of my sculpts are casted after selling and relist too.
But I can´t do anything. If you are not in agreement, I´ll ask to Ebay for
a solution.
-beamoviesculpt
To paraphrase, he says that recasting happens, so there's no reason he shouldn't do it too. Note also the none-too-subtle threat that he'll report my work to Microsoft/Bungie. On one hand, he's right. There's nothing I can do. While I have no legal recourse, I do have an idea.
This is where you come in, good people of the 405th: If you've got a few minutes, check out his auction at the above link. While you're there, click on "ask seller a question." Then ask him a question. Ideally it should be a question completely unrelated to the item, but it really doesn't matter what you ask. The object is to fill his inbox with so much spam that selling recasts of my helmet will be such a pain in the ass that he won't bother next time. It will only take you a moment and I could really use the help. Better still would be to load up the auction with bogus bids, but I can't ask anyone to do that.
Either way, if you come across this guy, for my sake, please don't buy anything from him. For your sake, please don't sell anything to him.
Thanks for your help. Together we can at least annoy the hell out of one recaster.