Market for Abe figure?

[alibongo]

Hi, just wondering if there would be a market for a detailed 6 inch resin figure of Abe? I'm a modeller by trade and wondered if it would be worth tooling up. It would be unofficial, as, as far as I know, there have never been any official Oddworld figurines.

[Xavier]

I know I would not buy anything unofficial. However if it's a collaboration between Oddworld Inhabitants and the artist, that's an other story.

If you plan to sell it then it would be best to check with Oddworld Inhabitants in order to have the permission to do so. They are super easy to reach via mail or Facebook.

[alibongo]

okay, good point. Just out of interest, why would you not buy an un-official collectable? Surely anything that garners interest in Oddworld is a good thing, and as there are no official figures, it would not be a matter of taking market share? And I just cannot understand why there are no official figures, Abe and his cronies are just so beautiful from a modelling point of view!

[Xavier]

okay, good point. Just out of interest, why would you not buy an un-official collectable? Surely anything that garners interest in Oddworld is a good thing, and as there are no official figures, it would not be a matter of taking market share?

I would not buy anything unofficial because I still feel that it would somehow be ripping off OWI.

And I just cannot understand why there are no official figures, Abe and his cronies are just so beautiful from a modelling point of view!

Good question. I think the latest we heard on the subject is that they were looking into it but have not come up with any convincing project yet.

[Crashpunk]

I'm agreeing with Xavier. Anything unofficial doesn't seem right to buy. If they do end up becoming official however... I would buy the shit out of them

[JayDee]

What if I pay for the figurine, and then mail an equivalent cheque straight Mr. Lanning himself?

[Slog Bait]

I have no problem buying fan work, but then again I also produce fan work. As long as you get permission from whoever owns the IP to sell the product (more or less for legal reasons), I never saw a point in caring.

[Nepsotic]

okay, good point. Just out of interest, why would you not buy an un-official collectable? Surely anything that garners interest in Oddworld is a good thing, and as there are no official figures, it would not be a matter of taking market share? And I just cannot understand why there are no official figures, Abe and his cronies are just so beautiful from a modelling point of view!

They don't make them because only like 5 people would buy them.

And I woudn't buy an unofficial figure either, not because it's unofficial, but because I don't want one.

[TheOddgamer98]

I think it wouldnt be worth for Oddworld because only a very few people would buy them, due the Oddworld game series is not so popular like some kind of Call of Duty.

[Nepsotic]

I'm pretty sure that's what I just said.

[TheOddgamer98]

I'm pretty sure that's what I just said.

Really? Oops.

[Bullet Magnet]

This happened before, and the model producers had to be shut down. If you do not protect your intellectual property then you lose your legal rights to it.

[Michael]

Another sculptor/model maker here There was an Abe statue produced some years ago, with no notice given to OWI. They requested the company cease production as they were infringing their IP. Fair enough!

There were also talks of official merchandise with a company going so far as to produce prototypes, including Abe figures and Molluck masks, etc. can't remember the thread but we discussed some photos here on the forums. I guess it didn't pan out

If you obtained permission, it'd be fine. I've been curious for a while what the legal situation is exactly regarding sale of fan artwork. Many comic book artists sell commissions of copyrighted/trademarked characters in their spare time, and don't seem to have any problems doing so.

I would love an Abe statue (made a couple myself in the past, could do much better now but would buy one immediately if it went on sale!) That said, I'm only really interested if something's official. For me I guess it's just a quality/accuracy assurance thing. Even if I made one myself as accurate as possible, it still wouldn't feel quite right somehow without that final seal of approval.

[OANST]

okay, good point. Just out of interest, why would you not buy an un-official collectable?

So you understand, combining those last two words is an oxymoron.

[Slog Bait]

If you obtained permission, it'd be fine. I've been curious for a while what the legal situation is exactly regarding sale of fan artwork. Many comic book artists sell commissions of copyrighted/trademarked characters in their spare time, and don't seem to have any problems doing so.

The general rule of thumb is if the owner of the IP isn't a big name company you go out of your way to get permission, otherwise it's not a top priority thing because most big name companies don't care unless the work is being mass produced. In that instance, expect a cease and desist.

A lot of big name companies see fan work (sold or not) as promotional work, even though according to the law (US law, at least) all forms of fan art are copy right infringement.

[Vyrien]

To answer your original question, I'm pretty sure someone will buy it if it's well made enough but don't expect it to go for much seeing as it's basically fan art.

Didn't some German company attempt to mass produce Abe figurines at one point? I seem to remember they got a cease and desist.

[Michael]

The general rule of thumb is if the owner of the IP isn't a big name company you go out of your way to get permission, otherwise it's not a top priority thing because most big name companies don't care unless the work is being mass produced. In that instance, expect a cease and desist.

A lot of big name companies see fan work (sold or not) as promotional work, even though according to the law (US law, at least) all forms of fan art are copy right infringement.

From a UK standpoint, I'm pretty sure that non-profit fan art is perfectly legal here. If you sell and make money however, then that profit is seen to have been effectively stolen from the IP owner, and at the least you would be ordered by court to pay it back in full (and likely cough up both parties' legal fees too).

I suppose it's a risk either way. But you're quite right, big companies wouldn't really bother themselves with a few small one-offs. Probably wouldnt even get a reply if you asked permission.

[STM]

If you could collaborate with OWI, I bet plenty of people would buy it. In the past, as BM and Vyrien have said though, a company was making Abe statuettes and was forced to cease and desist. It doesn't hurt to email JAW and ask though.

[Fuzzle Guy]

I own a few Oddworld figures that I don't believe have been officially licensed.

From my ignorant, armchair economist point of view - I don't quite see how OWI are being ripped off when they offer no alternative. I'm not spending £60 on the unofficial statue instead of the official statue - I'm buying the unofficial statue because the official one doesn't exist.

Oddworld are not losing money from such a venture because Oddworld aren't part of the venture in the first place.

[Slog Bait]

It's not that they're losing money on it, it's that their IP is being used and sold without their permission.

[STM]

Indeed, if you owned a company and someone was making money off your back producing goods of inferior quality, how happy would you be about that? Not only is someone making money off your hard work but they're besmirching your IP.

[Fuzzle Guy]

Indeed, if you owned a company and someone was making money off your back producing goods of inferior quality, how happy would you be about that? Not only is someone making money off your hard work but they're besmirching your IP.

It's unrelated, but to answer the question; I've been there, done that. It infuriated me, but for the sake of good PR, and relations with high profile investors - I felt it was best to turn a blind eye to what was going on.

Smile and wave boys, smile and wave.

Everyone was happy. The Twats that mugged me off were smiling, the mugs that bought into the rip offs were smiling, and the investors were smiling because it was good PR to be seen doing something for the "fans", and I was smiling because I knew ultimately I was doing bigger and better things than those who were ripping me off. In the long run, it was better for everyone to let it happen than to clamp down on it with the force of the law.

If you know where to look, there's a lot more unlicensed Oddworld art doing the rounds than you'd care to think. To make my case, I'll leave you with a quote from Kevin Spacey regarding House of Cards - "Give the people what they want, when they want it, at an affordable price - and they are less likely to steal it."

[Slog Bait]

The problem isn't of the poor quality one go fan works, it's with the high quality fan works that are being mass produced for profit without permission. No one ever bothers with the low quality shit.

At that point you've gone past the line of being an endearing fan or artist to being an asshole that profits off someone else's idea.

[Fuzzle Guy]

But I maintain that the only way to stop, is by producing the official ones. If you can't beat them, join them.

They don't make them because only like 5 people would buy them.

Make them to order. We're in the Instant age of the Social Network - a marketing pro they simply didn't have back when the Art Book bombed in 2004.

[Crashpunk]

Okay. Think of this like the copyright claims on YouTube debate. Is making a video about a game you don't own and earning a bit of cash wrong? I'm I breaking copyright as soon as the video gets monetized?

No it's not illegal (depending on this video) and can relate to Freedom of Speech and Fair use. Not to mention the fact most companies are open about this and know that it's purely a way to get free advertisement for their products. So they welcome YouTube videos with open arms.

What about the figurines and models? Like with the videos, you are using an IP you don't own to create a piece of media then selling it? So it that also legal?

The difference is that you are recreating that brand or the IP's identify and selling it like it was your own. It may be fan art and you might give full ownership to the characters to OWI, but you are still using their IP you don't own to gain money.

BUT DON'T YOU ALSO DO THAT ON YOUTUBE?

This is where things get complex. I'm not a law student or anything so I don't know everything (in fact I know very little )

Technically yes??? But you aren't recreating the brand on a video. You are simply using it and expressing your opinions or are just simply playing it. Essentially free advertisement.

I don't know... I think with this situation, it depends on the company. Maybe OWI won't mind. Or maybe they will. Who knows. I personally would love to see the models and hope they're amazing quality.

On a side note: I'm curious to know the how movie, comic book and music deals with copyright? If you use a song in a video then claim it, you get into trouble. But surely aren't you doing the same thing with a video game playthough?

Copyright hurts my brain...

[Job McYossie]

Depending on the price, I'd either be very interested, or not at all. There is quite a bit of really cool oddworld stuff that I want sure, but I can't go spend $60 on a figurine. What I want is some small/cheap product that I can buy and show off, like a small figurine or a button or a keychain.

So if this were a super amazing, high quality, well sized figurine, no, I wouldn't buy it. If this were a little, mediocre figurine, I'd probably have the ability to buy it.

[Fuzzle Guy]

There are officially lisenced mudokon pendants available on Etsy for £10. Enjoy.

[Job McYossie]

Wow, thank you very much. Day = made.

[Nate]

There are officially lisenced mudokon pendants available on Etsy for £10. Enjoy.

I can't see anything officially licensed on there. Or is 'lisenced' a keyword for 'not offiliated with OWI in any way'?

[alibongo]

This is the figure I'm thinking of. Could do in 15 inch or 6 inch. But I have taken on board that there would not be a market unless it was officially approved- which is unlikely! (The Etsy medallions are obviously hand-made, I was talking about a resin-sculpted limited run of moulded figures).