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Gonna share that with the wife. Just letting you all know what happened in advance....just in case I don't post here again.

I didn't buy a Lego set today, I bought an empty Lego box. Specifically, I bought the box for 10182 Café Corner. Saw it come up on eBay for ~£30 and pounced, since these are a) as rare as hen's teeth and b) if you can find one it'll be worth well over £100 (the only one on Bricklink is about £270 not including shipping). I do actually have a Café Corner which previously had no box, so that's nice. Also on the theme of rare bits for expensive modulars, I managed to bag a set of instructions for 10190 Market Street for ~£50. Again a very good find as the typical price would probably be 3 - 4 times that.

Lepin was around far longer than 2 years before LEGO took action against them. That really doesn't matter. If you can't understand that, then we can't help you understand. Which means you are just trolling at this point. The argument is going in circles because you are being obtuse. I'm two seconds away from shutting this thread down.

Treehouse blipped for $169 at walmart (I got two before OOS...fingers crossed)...keep eye on your email alerts

RIP Don Rickles

@Jeff Mack Can you add a Mr. Potato Head tracker?

Three, four

Nothing about the design of a Ferrari is "generic". When you look at the sets you mentioned, the Lego sets are an amalgamation of what a general vehicle looks like, whether it be the Grand Prix Racer, 24 Hour Race Car or Crane. I would even argue the Blue Power Jet isn't the F35, but could also be the F22, so therefore an another mixture of design. The Ferrari from Cada will eventually catch the radar of Ferrari licensing. And by that time, the set will probably never return and remain "sold out".

I'm not a lawyer or an IP expert. And I'm guessing that's true for most if not everyone posting here. So we should all take it a bit easier with our definitive statements on the legality of these sets. I know that when you build with bricks, many of the design features that make the model protected are not exactly replicated. I also know that the model has been for sale in Germany for a while and if it were as clear cut as you make it out to be, the item would no longer be for sale. In fact, differently from the Lego minifigures knock-offs, there doesn't even be an attempt to get the car off the shelves. So most likely, it is a bit of grey area, which is why Ferrari is not going after Cada. But as others have said, I don't think there is much to be gained from continuing to argue over this issue. I'm more worried about more people watching YouTube videos and buying Lego as investment than a Lego competitor taking a significant market share in the US.

🙄

The pictures you've posted show that you are wrong. The real vehicles clearly do not match the Lego models. Shapes, headlights, paint schemes, crane winch position, etc. All different. The F1 car looks like a generic representation of an F1 car from about 2010-2013. F1 cars (and LMP1) are designed within narrow regulatory constraints, so of course they look similar. All F1 cars from different manufacturers, using wholly unique chassis and engines, still look similar because of that. However, the Lego model clearly is not of any Ferrari F1 car (or any specific car at all). The colour scheme is obviously different, aero parts are not replicated, and the model looks no more like a Ferrari than any of the other manufacturers on the grid at that time. The 2010 Ferrari F1 car: The 2012 McLaren F1 car: The Lego model: The model is clearly no more similar to one or the other, and it clearly is not attempting to appear exactly like either. By contrast, here is the Ferrari 488 Pista: And here is the Cada model: It almost couldn't be more blatant. The fact that they've removed the Ferrari badges is even more incriminating, because it makes it completely obvious that they have not paid Ferrari to use their intellectual property.

This is why I think you're just trolling the forum. I cannot believe that anybody could be this obtuse. Are you honestly saying that you don't understand the difference between a brand and a type of object? Do you think that a can of Heineken is equivalent to an Amstel because they're both beer? Do you think that an Audi is equivalent to a BMW because they are both cars? The point is not that the Cada set looks like a car. The point is that it clearly IS an unlicensed representation of a specific automobile - The Ferrari 488 Pista. You have been asked to show which specific brand of vehicle the Lego examples represent, and you have failed to do so, either because you don't understand or are deliberately arguing in bad faith.

I haven't really ever posted to vote for a LEGO Ideas project, but I would like to see this one happen. Jaws is my favorite movie and I watch it fanatically. I have seen a few up for submission over time, but this one seems like it may have a chance to get put up for consideration. Personally I would love to see a bigger version with even more detail, but this is fun. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/390cf845-d64c-44fd-844b-b30fd42d5f12

The old white male Attorney General under Trump expressed interest to support the 3 girls in this case. The new administration withdrew that support

IANAL, but this is how I understood it, two transgender athletes were allowed to compete in track and field, three girls filed suit against the governing body for the policy that allowed the transgender athletes to compete. The Justice Department did support the girls' suit, but has since removed support per the article. And here I thought they believed in science.

I hope they pay interest on their probable tons of overpayments system wide.

So Mister Potato Head is now gender neutral and just Potato Head? This **** is getting ridiculous.

I can’t wait for them to actually adjust my number up saying they charged me too little

To be fair, the Blue Power Jet does look like the F-35. The F-22 has two engines, compared to the one engine of the F-35. Jang does a good job in pointing out the similarities and differences between the LEGO version and the jet version of the F-35. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTUg3DXvOv0&feature=emb_logo I guess it has just enough differences from the source material to avoid needing a licensing agreement to produce. However, the same can't be said about the Pista 488 set. Too many similarities that scream "I am a 488 Pista" without the labeling. They should have at least changed the color of it instead of the classic Ferrari red with white racing stripes down the center. There is no ambiguity as to whether or not this set is a 488 Pista.

One, two, please do!

I didn't know that everybody who watches a Youtube video buys the product featured. I guess Bugatti have sold millions of Chirons, rather than the 250 or so they claim. Show us some sales figures. All those 900,000 views mean is that the sanctimonious idiot running the channel is increasing his chances of facing legal repercussions. Besides, who cares if there is a general importer in Germany? If I wanted to buy crack cocaine I wouldn't have to deal with the Colombian Cartel, I could get it from a local dealer in the UK. Doesn't mean it is in any way legal. Show us the major German retailers stocking this. Go on... So it seems shady for Lego to use a generic representation, but not for some other company you inexplicably like to defend to use an exact model of a Ferrari? I can't believe you still don't accept the difference. Do yourself a favour and never represent yourself in any court, no matter how small. Whatever the lawyer charges will be worth it to save you from yourself.

Quoted from the Lego website: "Produced under license of Ferrari S.p.A. The name FERRARI, the PRANCING HORSE device, all associated logos and distinctive designs are property of Ferrari S.p.A. The body designs of the Ferrari cars are protected as Ferrari S.p.A. property under design, trademark and trade dress regulations." I understand taking a more cautious view, but I suspect that the reason the Cada Ferrari hasn't already been pulled is quite simply obscurity. It clearly isn't available from major retailers in Germany, and is seemingly a 'grey' import from China, so could simply be flying under the radar due to tiny volumes of sales. It doesn't really seem to be 'on the shelves' in the first place.

Needs a bigger boat.

Fell asleep with the kids and now awake at 215am on the moon. Wtf lol.

To be fair, that just establishes that the design is protected in some form. For sure, no other car maker can built a replica. Most likely, it means you can't build a 1:25 model either. But it once you get to Lego, it gets legally dicey. Yes, those models are clearly recognized as that Ferrari. But the design also doesn't match exactly. So then it will be up to the courts to decide. My guess: the non-Lego Ferrari is legal, at least under EU law. It's been sold long enough. It doesn't mean it's not ethically questionable. Of course, there is the broader question whether design patents are a good idea. Most economists would probably say no. Differently from parents on drugs or other genuine inventions, they don't promote societal beneficial R&D but mostly help to protect monopolies.

Shockingly, those criminals in Australia actually do things like hear trademark and design challenges and even more shockingly rule in favor of Ferrari, who's 488 Spider design is unique even compared to its previous 488 models. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=bd7018b8-6b44-457a-8340-30eaf8baca10

I'll put this here for lack of a better place: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/daisy-ridley-ted-cruz-star-wars-emotionally-tortured-jedi-texas-power-crisis-181958625.html anyway; it's interesting that Cruz thinks basically a masculine woman is the "trend breaker". yes it is for us men who think a "strong" woman basically has male physical and emotional traits. Lets be honest...if one was to just read about Cara Dune's character...it would just be assumed she was male. There's no complexity in her character. Yesterday I watched the Marvel "behind the mask" series where the Marvel women artists and writers were remarking on how male artists portray "strong" women characters...by making them physically strong or tough looking (ie how a male is perceived to be "strong")...the implicit message here is that to be strong as a woman one has to act or look like a male. seems to be very limited and one dimensional....and definitely not something as a parent we would want daughters to think.

Can anyone explain WTF is happening with GME ???

I also read that new show is going to be about Middle Earth, The Second Age. That would cover the rise of Sauron, founding of Rivendale, and a few other setup people and places for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. So a prequel of sorts. We could see Moria when it was still in its heyday and known as Khazad-dum.

This is truly absurd. Of course the design is protected. No matter how many times you may repeat these brainless claims, they continue to be wrong. Why the hell do you think bogus bricks from China got banned if all anybody needs to do is switch logos to be in the clear? I don't need to link you a damn thing; you are the one making outlandish claims. Plenty of evidence exists of knock-off car brands (like Land Wind) being shut down due to trademark infringement.

"She reportedly became so enamored with the man, and his car, that it did not take long for them to become a couple. In fact, in the two weeks that they were together, they consummated their mutual affection 17 times." TMI !!! How did you get to this number?

You've already established that there is a brouhaha occurring between LEGO, a German YouTuber, and non-LEGO brick sellers. The "nothing new" is within this thread and your answer offered nothing new. So if awareness was your goal, then this thread can probably be closed. However, you keep pushing, what several people have noted, appears to be an agenda. That is my question; what is the cause you're trying to champion? Are you trying to convince us that LEGO is a big bad corporation that everyone needs to stop buying from? Or that all these non-LEGO brick sellers are better investments than LEGO itself? Or are you pissed that LEGO's current miff with those they perceive as possibly damaging their reputation is possibly hurting your reselling prospects and you've become a very angry German. Or all-the-above?

Utter nonsense. If you are claiming that you can't see the conceptual difference between 'a sports car' and 'a Ferrari 488' then I can't believe that you're arguing in good faith. The Lego models are unquestionably not representative of specific vehicles / marques. The Cada model unquestionably is. Thought experiment for you. If a car manufacturer decided - in Europe - to release a car that was visually identical to a Ferrari in every way, but with different badges on it, what do you think would happen? Now imagine the same company instead decided to release their own design of car, visually and functionally unrelated but bound by the same definition of 'car'. I'll answer for him: no, he can't.

Frank, what is the purpose of this thread? As others have said, all I really see you doing is promoting non-LEGO brick sellers and at the same time bashing LEGO. So what is your end goal for creating this thread? At this point I feel like this thread is going round and round while not saying anything new.

The article is moronic (and, more specifically, Thomas Panke is a moron). One of the main examples given is the 'Ferrari', which is clearly an unlicensed knock-off. The only reason it still exists is because the pissant company is too small to be noticed by Ferrari. It's no wonder Lego costs more if they actually licence their IP. This is not some 'similar' or 'evocative' product - it is quite clearly a Ferrari 488 with the badges removed. This is so obvious that it's even listed as such on the websites where it can be purchased. Trying to compare this obvious trademark infringement with generic vehicle builds is risible. The mental gymnastics required to make this false equivalence could win the Olympics.

I edited my comment to remove the name calling. My bad there, it was over the top. I won't disagree with her's being more valuable than the other 3 combined especially as 2 of them are "eh", but, isn't it A LOT harder for a minifig to create demand when they will never appear in any Star Wars show, movie, comic, etc... ever again? The other examples that someone pointed out, I feel are seen over and over again in future movies, shows, etc... which keeps their demand way high. How fast did Boba Fett's vehicle or his minifigs sell once it/he appeared in Mandalorian? Immediately went North which brought back the thoughts from collectors of "I need that set or minifig again". This will never occur with her minifig. The value may be there (holding constant), but it won't see nearly as quickly or will never get a sudden bump again. This is what I think at least. Is it worth investing in the set, of course, it's only $40 for two minifigs that sell for that alone. That's a no brainer, but will her value be worth it to hold on to long-term.. I'm not going to say No, but I also don't think it will fly off the shelves quickly either, cause less people are going to "think of her" out of the blue, in relation to other characters that still exist over and over again.

I absolutely love Mark. Geez Luke has been my guy for 44 years. But Mark is super political and if it wasn’t for my love of Luke I’d have completely ignored him years ago. As others have said, it’s best to keep your mouth shut about politics online. This is definitely a double standard, and not surprising. It’s definitely a virtue signaling. We’ve seen it before from Disney. Edit to add: not saying her opinion was correct. But consistency is key. Either cancel all or ignore all.

Lets label it Social Media Stupid Syndrome, SMSS. The first time it happened, Ive heard Jon went to bat for her pretty hard to keep her on the show. Part of me wonders if they left her Season 2 closure of "going back home" as vague as it was in light of this sort of thing happening again. If you have those thoughts, keep them to yourselves, why post it publicly?