Lucasfilm seized my Master Replica props

[Deleted]

This is good.

I am expecting two original Master Replicas .45 scale Star Wars lightsabers for my son's first birthday in the mail.

Today, I receive a letter in the mail, from customs: They confiscated the lightsabers on behalf of Lucasfilm Germany, since they believe the items are unlicensed.

So I called them and asked them what was going to happen next.
Lucasfilm's attorney here in Germany will inspect the Lightsabers, and if they find they are real, I will receive them. If they are counterfeit, they will destroy them.
Either way, I should be receiving a letter from Lucasfilm's German attorney soon.

They must be bored or something.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Oh, I may need somebody here to send me a new one in case teh first two get destroyed...

Tim

 

[Darth Domain]

Wow. looks like they are really clamping down, i assume they are licensed?
This is all AA's fault, he's brought the un licensed bashers out.

 

[Deleted]

Yes, These are .45 scale MR lightsabers. New in box. (I will edit my post up there)

Tim

 

[Star Wars Helmets]

Originally posted by Darth Domain@Mar 28 2006, 10:56 AM
Wow. looks like they are really clamping down, i assume they are licensed?
This is all AA's fault, he's brought the un licensed bashers out.

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Blame AA, Blame AA

Burn the Witch.

:lol

 

[Darth Domain]

Originally posted by BingoBongo275+Mar 28 2006, 10:59 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BingoBongo275 @ Mar 28 2006, 10:59 AM)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Darth Domain

@Mar 28 2006, 10:56 AM
Wow. looks like they are really clamping down, i assume they are licensed?
This is all AA's fault, he's brought the un licensed bashers out.

[snapback]1214693[/snapback]​

Blame AA, Blame AA

Burn the Witch.

:lol

[snapback]1214697[/snapback]​

[/b]

:lol

 

[nash]

Thats pretty Lame, how stupid of Lucasfilm for wasting time on small fish. Why would you go after two .45 minis worth about $50? thats just retarded to me. lol. Im sorry to hear about the delay in your sabers, i hope you will get them faster than MR does their QC inspections

 

[Funky]

WTF??? :confused

 

[Deleted]

Regarding the "delay": these left the US on March 1, by priority mail. Customs waited three weeks before contacting me.

Tim

 

[The Manlet]

wow :confused Lucasfilm Germany should work in airports nothing gets past them. :lol

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Originally posted by GundamZeppelin@Mar 28 2006, 01:22 PM
wow :confused Lucasfilm Germany should work in airports nothing gets past them. :lol

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But wouldn't that put the airports out of business, since none are allowed through to or from the planes? :lol

That's really crazy... original licenced props held back for scrutiny... and for so long. what's next?

 

[JOATRASH FX]

I don't know anything about copyright laws in Germany but those props are YOURS. If they had been unlicenced, YOU wouldn't have broken the law by buying them, would you?

I very much doubt that the EXISTENCE of unlicenced props is illegal. I imagine you may have some kind of "consumer rights" representatives in Germany. If so, give them a call. Give your customs officials a call too and politely ask them how they can do that and explain.

We need to keep on top of this or it could potentially ruin our hobby in the long term. I imagine that most of the same people making/buying unlicenced fan-made stuff are the same people shelling out hundreds of dollars for licenced replicas several times a year. IP owners should really think twice about coming down hard on them or they may be shooting themselves in the foot. As long as fans keep it low-key, low-run and don't do it to make tons of $ then they would be well advised to keep their radars aimed higher.

The sad thing is (and it's the same in every entertainment-related industry) that these situations usually end up hurting loyal fans and customers.

 

[SithLord]

I think it may be just LFL Germany following the law by the letter....likely an anomaly and not represenative of a world-wide crackdown...or it might just be directed to sales of SW items between the USA and Europe? It should be interesting if someone in another EU country experiences the same thing...but it is reasonable to assume that it is a result of the LFL action against AA. It's really LFL's decision, blaming AA is like blaming any other unlicensed producer. I'm sure there was the same fear after GF got stuck by LFL...was he blamed as well? I don't know....

T

 

[yakcam]

WOW..., that sucks mate, I hope it's resolved soon

Cheers,

Kraig

 

[Star Wars Helmets]

I very much doubt this is part of a LFL clampdown, more likely a local mis-undertstanding

If Lucas wanted to stop the trade in unlicensed replicas then step one would be simply to close down each and every unlicensed Ebay sale via the VERO programme. A team of just a few people could effectively wipe out a huge slice of all non-licensed trading.

Cheers

Jez

 

[Spiker]

Tim told me there was no invoice in the parcel because it is a gift for his son. It's like "Big game hunting" for german customs to hold every parcel with missing invoice. If the invoice is not includet in the parcels you can wait up to 4 weeks until you hear anything of it (no matter if priority or overnight or anything...).

Then you get a small green letter that you can get your parcel from the local customs office if you bring the invoice...

Tim called them claiming it is a gift and there is NO invoice at all and they said if he just returns the green letter he will get his parcel delivered by german post.
I guess that attracted their attention to the case.

The next thing he got was the letter from the customs with the Lucasfilm-Explanation... his 2 MR minis are now on the way to a "specialist" at Lucasfilm Germany to get prooved...

The whole thing is more than ridicoulus and i cannnot agree more with joatrash when he sais that could be dangerous for the whole hobby.
Imagine you have a real screenused prop on the way being a thousands of dollars worth being destroyed by customs ??
Personally i am a little feared now to buy fanmade props out of the US and thats quite sad

 

[JOATRASH FX]

Are they really allowed to do that- send them away and then possibly destroy them without some form of "appeal"? If so, that is very scary.

 

[Spiker]

Originally posted by joatrash@Mar 28 2006, 12:49 PM
Are they really allowed to do that- send them away and then possibly destroy them without some form of "appeal"? If so, that is very scary.

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Yes they are. They are the law.

 

[Apollo]

Originally posted by joatrash@Mar 28 2006, 06:47 AM
I very much doubt that the EXISTENCE of unlicenced props is illegal. I imagine you may have some kind of "consumer rights" representatives in Germany. If so, give them a call. Give your customs officials a call too and politely ask them how they can do that and explain.

:confused Well this incident is a prime example that they are indeed illegal.

Some Studios protect their property more zealously than others.

I hope you get your Mini's quickly Tim.

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Originally posted by Spiker@Mar 28 2006, 12:45 PM
...
The whole thing is more than ridicoulus and i cannnot agree more with joatrash when he sais that could be dangerous for the whole hobby.
Imagine you have a real screenused prop on the way being a thousands of dollars worth being destroyed by customs ??
Personally i am a little feared now to buy fanmade props out of the US and thats quite sad 

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Well, there´s the catch . If you have a screenused prop worth thousands of dollars, you´d have nothing to fear if you include the invoice for it. And pay a nice 25% customs import fee. That is what customs are after, no more, no less. And of course that is the reason most of us ask the sender to not include an invoice in the packaging.

I had more than a few discussions with customs clerks over the value of a few things that friends from all over the world had sent me as gifts, and when I told them that I don´t know what exactly is in that package, they even tried to trick me into saying something about the contents, to prove that I was lying .

I am always torn between saving a few bucks and have a package insured below real value, or just do it the regular and correct way.

Michael

 

[Spiker]

Originally posted by apollo@Mar 28 2006, 12:53 PM
:confused  Well this incident is a prime example that they are indeed illegal.

Some Studios protect their property more zealously than others.

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If you take some exact copies ot the 0.45 MR mini saber you are right. But what is with a real Graflex for example... i can't imagine that Lucasfilm has the copyright on these (just the flashes). Maybe on the thing with grips and the other additional stuff includet but not on the Graflex itself. And even that is hard to believe.
They should ask themselves who stole from who... i wonder if they ever asked Tamiya back in that time for using hundreds of their kitparts or Graflex, MPP, Rolls Royce etc. if they may use their products in their props...
It would be interesting to have a definition where is the real frontiere here.