Unauthorized Disney Merchandise

[lpereira]

Worse. The guy in question posted a commercial for his counterfeit goods today using video of the police officer serving him with his trespass order.
This guy is particularly egregious but illegally selling goods isn't a slippery slope. You either are or you are not.

 

[nw6675]

Worse. The guy in question posted a commercial for his counterfeit goods today using video of the police officer serving him with his trespass order.
This guy is particularly egregious but illegally selling goods isn't a slippery slope. You either are or you are not.

 

[RichVIII]

Disney tried, on multiple occasions to get this couple to stop. They didn’t. The not only didn’t, they continued their antics. Most people would have gotten those letters and immediately stopped.

In regards to the video, this guy went to DS (where he could have visited guest services) but decided to bus to MK instead of driving. He said he know his pass was having issues (it’s why he didn’t want to go to parking booth). This was orchestrated. He was ready to film this for further attention.

Either they are getting awful legal advice or just plain ignorant. He also puts himself at risk for his employer (since he posts about working for Southwest Airlines) for this type of behavior.

 

[rdaky]

I'm local so I feel like I can add a little more local insight. This couple not only has a huge business, they were posting on local neighborhood Facebook pages AFTER the lawsuit information went viral about needing a warehouse space. Pretty gutsy if you ask me. Their business is huge. This isn't just a mom at home making some Disney shirts on Etsy (which is also not allowed, if we're being technical) They are so big that they need a warehouse and employees.

 

[rdaky]

Adding, too, that people often think that Disney doesn't go after people/businesses for trademark or copyright issues, but they do. Just because everyone didn't get caught doesn't mean that it's ok or that Disney turns a blind eye. It's no different than fake Coach purses.

On that note, people also tend to think that Disney doesn't go after resellers, but they go after that too. Again, so many don't get caught right away, but those resellers using their AP to get discounts, paying with a gift card so that Disney doesn't track them... and then selling them online with a "shopping fee" at more than full price... don't think that Disney hasn't taken away APs from some of those people, too.

 

[dez1978]

Yeah, this dude is a piece of work. I've been following this on FB for a while now. He's an arrogant jerk who thinks the rules don't apply to him. TBH I don't really get upset about the knock off stuff, plenty of ppl do that. Heck, I've made my own Disney stuff (for personal use). But what gets me about this guy is the attitude that he can somehow get around this or is special in some way. Not only did he ignore the cease and desist letters, he continued to openly and blatently sell and advertise his goods knowing Disney was watching him. He posted to various social media pages like "hahaha watch this" and "i'm going to call my attorney!" Dude, you don't have the $ or the power to win against Disney on this.

 

[BrianL]

I'm local so I feel like I can add a little more local insight. This couple not only has a huge business, they were posting on local neighborhood Facebook pages AFTER the lawsuit information went viral about needing a warehouse space. Pretty gutsy if you ask me. Their business is huge. This isn't just a mom at home making some Disney shirts on Etsy (which is also not allowed, if we're being technical) They are so big that they need a warehouse and employees.

Yeah, I think there's a huge difference in someone making a few home-made sets of ears or custom decorating a Magic Band, versus this guy's giant enterprise. Technically, none of it is allowed if it infringes on trademarks, etc. but I don't think Disney wants to go after the small stuff.

 

[motherof5]

Following. If what I’ve read is correct, these ppl were using actual Disney characters on the ears but even worse than that, they used the actual wdw address

Wow that is bold using the address.

 

[rdaky]

Yeah, this dude is a piece of work. I've been following this on FB for a while now. He's an arrogant jerk who thinks the rules don't apply to him. TBH I don't really get upset about the knock off stuff, plenty of ppl do that. Heck, I've made my own Disney stuff (for personal use). But what gets me about this guy is the attitude that he can somehow get around this or is special in some way. Not only did he ignore the cease and desist letters, he continued to openly and blatently sell and advertise his goods knowing Disney was watching him. He posted to various social media pages like "hahaha watch this" and "i'm going to call my attorney!" Dude, you don't have the $ or the power to win against Disney on this.

Yes, that is what irritates me too. I could not believe it when I saw him posting on local neighborhood pages looking for warehouse space. As if there aren't thousands of Disney employees on those pages too. And now they made a video with his wife fake crying about people being mean to her. Give me a break. They had a chance to stop and they continued to act arrogantly. At this point if they set foot on Disney property they can be arrested for trespassing. It would not surprise me if they try to record that too for their followers.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Folks -- Don't ever cross trademark and patent attorneys. They are ruthless. Don't believe me? Ask Dr. Richard Kimble.

 

[fatmanatee]

Getting the sense that they feel that acting out raises their profile and benefits them. Will be interesting to see if this backfires on them!

 

[Groot]

Worse. The guy in question posted a commercial for his counterfeit goods today using video of the police officer serving him with his trespass order.
This guy is particularly egregious but illegally selling goods isn't a slippery slope. You either are or you are not.

Yeah, trying to make the guard look like the bad guy when all he was doing was his job.

Whoa if true. This guy was selling the ears directly on Main Street in magic kingdom

Woooow. That brazen, huh? Yup, I wouldn’t be that surprised if that doesn’t come up during the trial.

 

[Pyxie]

For as long as I can remember unauthorized Disney merchandise has always been one of the most common things you see and where I have seen this pop up is in the toys and it's not only Disney merchandise that is unauthorized it's also Marvel merchandise as well. Take for example if you go to a store like Big Lots or a dollar store you'll see action figures that look like real Marvel action figures but they have a different name and the character names are different too. Like Spider-Man might be known as Spider Hero or Captain America might be known as American Hero and so on. I also noticed this with Disney Princess dolls and if you go to any dollar store you'll notice that the dolls may look like official Disney Princess dolls but just like the Marvel action figures the princess dolls have different names. Like Princess Aurora might be called Princess Rose Ariel might known as Mermaid Princess Tiana may be known as The Frog Princess and Anna and Elsa might be called Winter Princess and Snow Queen. I don't know when these toys became popular and common but they seem to be really huge in the dollar stores

Yes, but this isn't illegal and not really what the rest of the thread is referring to. If these stores were selling merchandise that looked exactly the same, with the same name, and they tried to pass it off as official Disney or Marvel merch, that would be a problem. Selling a toy that is just similar enough with a different name is allowed.

 

[Kennywood]

Disney attorneys......

 

[dez1978]

This dude is really gutsy, or stupid. I'm going with stupid. He had a video on Insta or Tiktok yesterday still going on about how he was going to keep doing what he was doing and his wife looked so uncomfortable answering questions. And the ppl in the comments all "ignore the haters! We love you!!"

 

[Groot]

This dude is really gutsy, or stupid. I'm going with stupid. He had a video on Insta or Tiktok yesterday still going on about how he was going to keep doing what he was doing and his wife looked so uncomfortable answering questions. And the ppl in the comments all "ignore the haters! We love you!!"

Maybe that’s because they’re deleting all the negative comments.

 

[robinb]

I just saw this. I was a member of his FB group at one time, but he was just too rude and obnoxious. That was before he was selling his own knock-offs. He was one of those APers who would scoop up tons of merch to sell online through his FB page. That being said, I looks at his ears on eBay and they do look pretty nice. If Disney has a patent on the mouse ears, I'm a little surprised that eBay hadn't shut him down themselves.

FTR, I have a couple of handmade ears from Etsy. The quality wasn't the same as Disney, so I just buy from Disney now.

 

[afan]

FTR, I have a couple of handmade ears from Etsy. The quality wasn't the same as Disney, so I just buy from Disney now

Some that sell ears make great quality. And I appreciate that the headbands aren't as tight as Disney's.

 

[Katie & Glen]

This is a business news site that is directed at companies that deal in licensed merchandise:
https://www.valueaddedresource.net/disney-cracks-down-on-ip-infringement-resellers/

I'm certain that if the perpetrators had paid Disney's licensing fees this would be a non-issue. Disney tends not to care all that much when small hobbyist crafters sell handmade Disney-inspired merchandise, but when you engage in actual full-scale manufacturing using trademarked images, or worse, claim or imply that the merchandise is "official", then you either pay the licensing fee and abide by its terms, or you get sued for trademark infringement.

Something important to think about: if Disney does not get their licensing fees off of businesses like this, then don't be surprised when the prices in the Parks keep rising. This is low-hanging revenue that Disney can get from a lot of sources, which would then mean that the company wouldn't be so dependent on Parks revenues to offset losses in other divisions of the company. Having them ignore this kind of large-scale counterfeiting operation hurts everyone who likes to visit the parks or who owns stock in Disney.

I think, in addition to not paying the licensing fees, the fact that they were trying to make it seem like they were selling licensed, authorized and authentic Disney merch may have pushed it over the edge.

When people buy an etsy knockoff, it is known it is not Disney authentjc. These guys claimed a Disney resort address. Took pics with their metch in front of the castle, tried to sell their merch inside the park. Huge difference between an etsy purchase (where you know it is not authentic) and buying it from someone who passes themself off as an authorized source.

 

[HopperFan]

I think, in addition to not paying the licensing fees, the fact that they were trying to make it seem like they were selling licensed, authorized and authentic Disney merch may have pushed it over the edge.

When people buy an etsy knockoff, it is known it is not Disney authentjc. These guys claimed a Disney resort address. Took pics with their metch in front of the castle, tried to sell their merch inside the park. Huge difference between an etsy purchase (where you know it is not authentic) and buying it from someone who passes themself off as an authorized source.

AGREE

And I think there is a huge difference between your average Etsy seller who is busy making product in their home or small craft space VS this duo who are having their ears mass produced in China, dumping a large quantity into the market. These guys DO impact Disney sales, most Etsy do not. Disney has no choice but to go after them, especially given their arrogant behavior and ignoring Disney's legal team.