Unauthorized Disney Merchandise

[nw6675]

I hope they get all that's coming to them. The blatant arrogance is what burns me up the most.

 

[RoseGold]

Even if you are self taught, you could still be professionbal. The wording in the T&C is regarding "commerical" activity. They don't mention "professional photographer".

I mean come on. Tell that to every Vlogger Disney invites to the first night of every party. They're tripping over each other. There are many, many people who make their livings on professional photography at the parks, and it's not like they're hiding.

I actually wonder if that's a decent response, that you're filming for your social media.

 

[pindecisive]

StHooch has a great Youtube video that I watched to get caught up on this issue.

It seems like the seller was selling the ears in a Disney park in person.

It's made me wonder if the character resin flatbacks I see on Etsy that people use for bows are legally made. I've gotten compliments on my bows from CMs before so I never really thought about it.

And pins. You buy pins off eBay. Strong possibility that someone stole them. One of my CM friends told me about a woman who recently got caught stealing over 1K worth of pins and had them stuffed in the bottom of her child's stroller, and she was a reseller. Most of them don't get caught or by the time security gets there, they've lost them.

Maybe in the 2000's you could get a reputable seller, but these days no one who buys their trades off Ebay cares about another guest's experiences with trading. It's beyond unlikely to get authentic, legally made and purchased pins.

Same. I'm not a big pin person but the ones we do have came directly from Disney. Don't even get me started on the garbage on the pin boards...

100%

I shop the 'set' sales from Shop Disney, Loungefly, or Box Lunch for traders, and frequently get the price down to about $2-$3 a pin. I still sometimes stick 'full price' pins I've bought at the parks onto a board, but they're usually older ones I don't love as much that I'd like to pass along to the next guest.

 

[NotUrsula]

I have purchased 3D printed ears for my wife from an Etsy seller. The character ears can be swapped and mixed and matched in and out of the headbands. They are great. I know its technically giving money to someone who is at best infringing upon licensed images, etc. My wife loves the design and the customizability so much. She wears them more than her licensed ears. I assume Disney never went to this design model because then it limits there ability to force consumers to by a different headband / ears for each character.

Disney sold the name hats with snap-on ears for years. I have a child-sized one that I bought for DD when she was little (in 2009, I think), with three prs of ears to snap onto it.

 

[soniam]

Son just showed me a pic of a Desantis 2024 hat in the Disney font. I can’t remember if that’s trademarked/copyrighted. Probably isn’t officially licensed though. However, I doubt it’s from Desantis’ actual campaign.

 

[dioxide45]

Son just showed me a pic of a Desantis 2024 hat in the Disney font. I can’t remember if that’s trademarked/copyrighted. Probably isn’t officially licensed though. However, I doubt it’s from Desantis’ actual campaign.

I don't beleive Disney really created the font. They created a stylized logo with the words Walt Disney which they have trademarked. Only 10 letters, but others have created fonts based off the logo. Those fonts may or may not be copyrighted by the original creator.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

My sister is not a professional photographer. She is a stay-at-home mom who has learned how to use her camera quite well. When we go on vacation together she takes her gear (no tripods or sticks) with her and photographs the family doing pretty much everything. She has been approached by Disney management on multiple occasions and told she cannot take photographs and they cite their policy. She politely explains to them that she is not a professional photographer, but is self-taught and is simply with her family on vacation making memories. One manager apologized and walked away. Others have forcefully made her put her camera up and one even told her she could put it in a locker or leave the park and return without it.

Yup, that is pretty ridiculous.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

This is completely ridiculous. It is Disney's intellectual property and therefore illegal, but Disney needs to shut down every single seller on etsy, Facebook, etc who are selling ears, shirts, party supplies, doorbell frames, SVGs, wall art, etc. I have known people that make 50K plus a year off Disney's intellectual property. They also need to go after these people who are making a living on being personal shoppers, which is or at one time against Disney policies for Annual passes.

I know a lady who worked in the Piracy (Tips) Department for Disney. She told me they go after people who are heavily reported or selling bootlegs of their movies, but for the most part they do not care. She now works in the HR department for a particular WDW park and said they are harder on their employees selling merch they got with their CM discount than they are people who are using their intellectual property to make a living.

Facts.

I know several people personally (not a close relationship) who make a living selling Disney images or property.

One is a husband/wife team who make over $175K a year with laser cut images of Disney characters. They cut them out, paint them and then sell them.

Another makes about 100K a year selling on etsy and FB. Most of what she sells she gets from China and then resells. This is her 2nd job so she can pay for vacations.

I also know a lady who has a Disney Pin Selling group on FB. She has a supplier she gets legit pins from (in China), the same ones we get in the park. It is apparent her supplier either works for or has a connection with Disney's contracted manufacturing plant(s). She makes almost 200K a year in profit selling Disney pins. This is her "job" so that she can stay home and take care of her kids. She is aware this is Disney's property, but she says she doesn't feel bad because she obtains the pins legally.

 

[rdaky]

I also know a lady who has a Disney Pin Selling group on FB. She has a supplier she gets legit pins from (in China), the same ones we get in the park. It is apparent her supplier either works for or has a connection with Disney's contracted manufacturing plant(s). She makes almost 200K a year in profit selling Disney pins. This is her "job" so that she can stay home and take care of her kids. She is aware this is Disney's property, but she says she doesn't feel bad because she obtains the pins legally.

I have serious doubts about whether she's obtaining those pins legally. She might personally not be doing anything wrong, but it sounds like she's enabling either a supplier or someone with a connection to the factory of doing illegal activity. I imagine Disney has a contract with the manufacturer that doesn't allow them to just sell under the table to anyone.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Son just showed me a pic of a Desantis 2024 hat in the Disney font. I can’t remember if that’s trademarked/copyrighted. Probably isn’t officially licensed though. However, I doubt it’s from Desantis’ actual campaign.

Probably the Pac had them done. Interesting article about Disney font..https://galvanilegal.com/is-the-disney-font-copyrighted/

 

[Katie & Glen]

Probably the Pac had them done. Interesting article about Disney font..https://galvanilegal.com/is-the-disney-font-copyrighted/

Several sources say similar versions of the below

"Waltograph is under a Non-commercial license, which means you can copy, distribute, and display the work, but you must not use the work for commercial purposes."

They may have claim that, by selling the hats, it is commercial purposes.

Using to promote a political campaign may or may not fall under that rule (not being a trademark lawyer, I can`t say- just speculation). That discussion would belong in another thread.

 

[dioxide45]

Several sources say similar versions of the below

"Waltograph is under a Non-commercial license, which means you can copy, distribute, and display the work, but you must not use the work for commercial purposes."

They may have claim that, by selling the hats, it is commercial purposes.

Using to promote a political campaign may or may not fall under that rule (not being a trademark lawyer, I can`t say- just speculation). That discussion would belong in another thread.

The Waltograph font is simply based on the Disney company's logo. It wasn't a font created by Disney. Disney has a trademark for the ten letters (Walt Disney) in the scriptset that spells it out. Researching it more, it looks like it was designed by Justin Callaghan. Any royalties for use would be paid to the font creator, not Disney.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

I have serious doubts about whether she's obtaining those pins legally. She might personally not be doing anything wrong, but it sounds like she's enabling either a supplier or someone with a connection to the factory of doing illegal activity. I imagine Disney has a contract with the manufacturer that doesn't allow them to just sell under the table to anyone.

Just stating that from her perspective. I am not supporting, condoning or agreeing with it. She is buying them, therefore she does not consider it illegal.

 

[kwdw]

I have purchased 3D printed ears for my wife from an Etsy seller. The character ears can be swapped and mixed and matched in and out of the headbands. They are great. I know its technically giving money to someone who is at best infringing upon licensed images, etc. My wife loves the design and the customizability so much. She wears them more than her licensed ears. I assume Disney never went to this design model because then it limits there ability to force consumers to by a different headband / ears for each character.

Actually, they did have make your own ears for a few years were you could snap on and off different ears, bows, etc. I was sad to see that go.

 

[SkyGuy]

He was perma-banned a week or so ago. He posted about it, and I don’t think it went the way he thought it would.

 

[nw6675]

He was perma-banned a week or so ago. He posted about it, and I don’t think it went the way he thought it would.

Is that different from the March ban?

 

[SkyGuy]

Is that different from the March ban?

I believe so. He posted on his TikTok around June 11(ish?), saying he was being permanently banned, showing a piece of paper (apparently the ban), and having a fit the entire time he was being escorted out by several CMs.

 

[nw6675]

I believe so. He posted on his TikTok around June 11(ish?), saying he was being permanently banned, showing a piece of paper (apparently the ban), and having a fit the entire time he was being escorted out by several CMs.

That sounds the same as March. He must be trying to get 15 more minutes of fame to his record

 

[SkyGuy]

That sounds the same as March. He must be trying to get 15 more minutes of fame to his record

I saw it on Instagram, and he found it and was in the comments claiming he had done nothing wrong and people were telling him to get bent, but he didn’t dispute the claim that it just happened. But, I wouldn’t put it past him.

Edit: pretty sure it is the same vid from March. I guess he’s successful at keeping his name/brand out there…