Could This Happen to Our Replicas...

[Matthew]

Hi there theKnightling,

I'd just like to apologise for accidentally deleting your post earlier today whilst dealing with another board issue. If you'd care to repost it in this thread, I'd appreciate it, as it could become a very important issue for everyone in the community that either owns, or is hoping to own a replica.

Many thanks.

Matt

[Knight Racer]

I read the post this morning.I was shocked when they decided to outlaw parts on a car based on usefullness.The 1970's Adam West batmobile was once pulled over when Barris was driving it to the set before the series was recorded.He explained its the batmobile but the cop didn't care and arrested him.He had to use his 1 call to get himself released by calling the producers.It always made me think if a SPM mode kitt would be street legal with all its parts sticking out.

[DJGM]

Since the original post that had been accidentally deleting hasn't been reposted by theKnightling, would anyone
else care to elaborate on what exactly is happening. Is there a change in the law coming that could potentially
make replicas of well known TV and movie cars such as KITT or the Batmobile, completely illegal?

If so, how would this affect popular exhibition events like the KR Festival and KnightCon UK ... ?

[Matthew]

By the looks of things, a US district judge has ruled that the batmobile is subject to copyright laws due to its unique design. Since cars aren’t usually protected under the existing laws, it could set a dangerous precedent with the potential to impact people in various different communities.

Matt

[DJGM]

After the recent fiasco over the MegaUpload file-sharing website being shutdown by the FBI and US-DoJ
over copyright infringement, could the authorities in the US decide to start confiscating TV and movie
car replicas and arrest the owners over copyright infringement charges?!?

I know internet piracy and TV/Movie car replicas are two different things entirely, but if the copyright
laws are being exercised over both, I guess the US authorities could create serious legal problems for
a lot of otherwise law abiding owners and makers of these replica vehicles.

Like you said, cars aren't currently protected under existing copyright laws, so most replicas should be
legally safe for the time being. It could only be a matter of time before parts of the US Government
try to enact new laws against replicas similar to SOPA and PIPA.

[KentuckyKITT]

First of all, I don't think there's any need to worry about this too much. In our replica domain, The Pontiac Trans Am belongs to GM, not Universal or any other movie or television company or any of their parent companies. Same can be said for the Ford Mustang. As far as I can tell, it's still very legal to own a Pontiac Trans Am or a Ford Mustang. Now, in the case of some replicars such as the 89 Batmobile and the Tumbler, those vehicles are completely custom made props which are NOT designed on or from an existing vehicle (though they may contain some stock parts from multiple vehicles), so I can see a ruling on copyright there pretty easily. The body designs and engineering are unique and are NOT available for sale to the public and were never intended to be. They are props. The Pontiac Trans Am was and is available for sale to the public and was intended to be. The fiberglass and electronic add-ons were not, so there again, I could see a ruling on just those components. However, should there ever be a "crackdown" on making and selling copied parts from television and movies, it's not the owners that should be worried, but the vendors who make and sell the stuff. They are making the profit, not us. Now, I hope it doesn't come to this because without those vendors, we couldn't build our replicas very easily, if at all. It really is a sticky situation when you think about it. In the back of our minds, we know it's technically not legal, but we still buy the stuff and put it in on our cars.

I will say this though, if you own a KITT replica and you charge people money to sit in it or take photos or you rent it out to anyone for anything, then you are helping to contribute to the reason for copyright lawsuits because then you are making money off of someone else's idea. You can try and justify your reasons all you want, but unless you have the proper permissions from those that own the copyrights, then you are in the wrong. If you do have legal permission, then more power to you! There's also the concept of selling your replica. There again, sticky situation as I've seen them for sale on Ebay and elsewhere with the name Knight Rider and KITT all over it and some of those owners made a pretty hefty profit off that idea. Even though it was a Pontiac Trans Am, it was sold as a Knight Rider KITT car and contained those questionable components. In my opinion, replicars should ultimately be built for yourself and not for the purpose of making money with.

It will be quite interesting to see how this unfolds in the coming months and whether other movie and television companies enact similar suits.

Bryan

[taoworm2323]

In my opinion, replicars should ultimately be built for yourself and not for the purpose of making money with.

I respectfully disagree.

99% of the community cannot or does not have the know how to build a replica car. (Be it Knight Rider or Viper or the Deloren.)

There are a lot of folks with the passion to own and play with these cars, but through no fault of there own, have NO idea how to build complex electronics or accurate props.

I remember when Christian Forget (From Jupiter Electronics) sold me my first 4th season Voice box back in 2001. I was SO excited!
I thought the man was a genius (and still do) and was SO grateful he made the time to share his talent so that I could have something I ALWAYS wanted.

So just speaking form mine own experience, if they ever do come after those who spend there own time and money and research creating things that are WORKING, TANGIBLE props, that only existed in the special effects realm, that would suck.

But to my knowledge Universal has shown NO interest whatsoever in pursing that road.
In short, they could care less.

They have a history about not giving 2 flips about the KR franchise on the replica level.
Well except when they loaned the 2 Mustangs from the show to go to the KR Festival. If anything that makes it seem like they like the community of replicas.

[jup]

Just a note: SOPA and PIPA are not dead; they are 'shelved'.

To take a corny observation via the Batman theme to this, 'dead' would mean that they were dismantled with all the threatening works destroyed by powerful methods. 'Shelved' would mean that if SOPA were a time bomb, it is now just sitting somewhere as a decorative piece, waiting for Joker to walk along, 'unshelve' it and find some place for it to go 'BOOM' at.