#ProBJDartists

Den of Angels on recasts a.k.a. counterfeit/fake/bootleg dolls

Recasts: DoA’s Rules and Statements from BJD Artisans
BJD makers threatened by Chinese counterfeiter – announcement
BJD makers threatened by Chinese counterfeiter – discussion

You don’t need to have a DoA account to read these threads. 

Aiheesta suomeksi 🇫🇮

Hartsilapset portaali – Recastit eli tuoteväärennökset 
 

I've been seeing #probjdartists posts around instagram recently, and I think it's a good thing to keep the discussion going – especially after the whole trademark issue with Luo. If we want to keep this hobby alive in the long run, we have to support the artists behind these dolls. There really is no other way. They are the ones creating the dolls, while the people who sell counterfeit dolls (a.k.a. recasts) contribute nothing. They only profit from the artists' hard work. This time I decided to go for a different angle in my post: a lot of the time the excuses that I have seen for buying counterfeit dolls are around the lines of "it's a limited sculpt that was discontinued", "it's not available in the skin tone that I want", "it's too expensive" etc. To me it seems like a lot of times people are impatient and resort to buying a counterfeit, solely because the doll that they want isn't available right at that moment, the way that they want it. There are sayings "Patience is a virtue" and "Good things come to those who wait" that can be applied to life in general – but they are especially true in this hobby. The dolls that I have didn't just magically appear one day – it has taken a lot of time, research and saving up for me to acquire them (heck, it's taken over a decade of my life to get to this point). I think that this is true for most people in this hobby. Most of us are just regular people. In some cases you may have to wait years, even, for a certain doll to be available. And in some cases you may never be able to fulfill a doll wish. But when that happens, you will just have to learn to live with it, or find a another doll to purchase as a replacement. It does not give anyone an excuse to buy a counterfeit version. Nothing does. Patience and saving up can take you far in this hobby – maybe even further than you ever imagined. Please only buy legit dolls and support the artists! ?❤️ #abjd #bjd #proartist #antirecast

A post shared by mizya (@minuet_design) on Aug 23, 2018 at 5:32am PDT

After reading the discussion about recasts (essentially counterfeit/fake/bootleg dolls) on different platforms, I have a few more things that I want to add. I'm sorry if some of you are growing tired of this subject, but I feel that it's important to discuss, for the future of our beloved hobby. I saw things like "it's the legit companies' fault for not registering their trademarks first" being thrown around and I'm baffled to see such blatant victim-blaming. Registering trademarks is not an easy feat because different countries have different laws and it's expensive, too. Now, one might say that "Luo Ligui can afford to do it, why can't legit dollmakers?" Well, the legit dollmakers have more expenses compared to recasters, as they will make sure to invest in the best materials, creating a safe workspace for their workers with proper protection & good ventilation and they will also pay an appropriate wage for all the work. I honestly don't believe that the working conditions are all that great in bootleg industry. Not to mention that recasters don't have to invest in marketing either, so it's no wonder they can afford to throw those thousands of dollars in trademarks. I also tend to shy away from talking about "companies", because meanwhile some may look like they are really big & popular, they are actually rather small in the grand scheme of things. I kinda get the feeling that it's easier to steal from a "big company that is surely making tons of money each month" so I try to emphasise that they are also artists. And often times these companies consist of 1-5 people – even the "big ones" have only a handful of workers. For example Volks is the biggest BJD company out there, BUT they also manufacture figures and scale models, and they only have about a two hundred workers across ALL of their departments. So you can imagine that the doll side is managed by a much smaller group of people. So, please think about the people behind these companies and how you are negatively affecting their livelihood by buying counterfeit dolls. Please stand with the people and support the artists! #abjd #bjd #proartist #probjdartists #antirecast

A post shared by mizya (@minuet_design) on Apr 30, 2018 at 1:24am PDT

In the light of recent events (Recaster Luo Ligui is trying to register legit doll artists' trademarks, check @puffypuffers and @f15dolls for further information) I thought that I should make a post to show that I stand with the artists and condemn recasts and their supporters. I don't believe in being "neutral" about this issue. Being neutral means that you are silently allowing recasts to continue hurting the artists and the whole hobby. There really is not a single justified reason for buying a recast, it's an incredibly selfish thing to do. And even if recast supporters say that "it's not anyone's business what I do with my money", it does become everyone's problem when people's livelihoods are at stake. Please do the right thing and support the artists. Do not continue giving more power to the people who are destroying our hobby. #abjd #bjd #proartist #probjdartists #antirecast #downwithluoligui

A post shared by mizya (@minuet_design) on Apr 27, 2018 at 10:34am PDT

I am pro-artist and anti-recast.

My collection consists of only authentic dolls created and manufactured by their respective makers.

I generally steer away from the recast debate because the pro-recast “arguments” are so terribly flawed that I only get irritated when I read them. Because there is NOT ONE good reason for buying recasts. Not one. BJDs exist in all shapes, sizes and colours. The price range is also varied. There is surely something for everyone.

Recasts are harmful to the BJD industry, community and individuals. They contribute nothing. They rob the artists of their time, hard work, creativity and livelihood.

These aren’t just “companies” that are being harmed. They consist of people, with feelings, dreams and passion. We should be humbled and grateful that they share their art with us by creating these beautiful dolls.

Without the artists, none of us would have this wonderful hobby in the first place. So give credit to the people who it rightfully belongs to, and purchase authentic dolls. Only that way you are able to contribute into the future development of the BJD hobby and industry.

I support the original artists and I wish to have nothing to do with recasts or their owners/supporters. You are hurting my friends and people who I admire, which is inexcusable to me.