#waifulandstudio

I did a similar post before about someone who tries to make money with copyright protected merch, again: creating cosplay props for yourself is ok without selling it. Making a business out of it on ETSY or where ever it is sold, no matter how small the business is, is ILLEGAL (selling and buying it). Online transactions can be easily tracked: Keep your hands off merch that is not original but people use the name of a big brand to make money out of it. That way you do not get into trouble.

Here are some examples how the fake merch looks like: (this applies to all fandoms not only DA, it only serves as an example)

65 USD for some plastic sh** that looks like it's done for 3 year olds? A Leliana plushy for 50 USD that was designed by some random tumblr artist??? Of course the design of Leliana and her clothes is not AT ALL a Bioware thing *cough*. It was created by the DA Origins concept artists (the character, her clothes). The person above works together with several tumblr artists to share the money, the problem is: the idea, design, the character and everything else is not their own to have any right to make money out of it.

here a few more examples of illegal merch:

design stolen from DAI, this cosplay prop was 3D printed and the very "smart" person tries to make a business out of it too (prop won't even survive long by quality). same person tries to sell this too:

"A Cullen Rutherford POTION" with a silicone medallion, using the character's name and the official concept art of the medallion (3D printed).

As if it is not bad enough that it is illegal, what kind of sh** do people try to sell connected to games that are actually based (DAO-DAI) and they make a kids circus out of it with ridiculous looking childish stickers and plushies, cheap bathing gel.... my eyes burn seeing such bullcrap connected to my favourite games.

Someone reacted to my previous post (click here) and that person (a fan zine artist) was surprised that it is illegal to use copyright protected characters (official concept art), the character's name, clothes, story what ever else to sell "own" merch or so called fan zines.

Let me explain it a little bit more detailed: Disney, Bioware, CDPR (and so on) got their own merch, they own the rights on the name and look of the characters which had been created by concept artists who work(ed) for the company, it is their idea, their art and they sell their own merch.

If someone now sells merch for example anything connected to Cullen Rutherford, or a Leliana plushy who wears the clothes Leliana wore in DAO or Cullen's DAI sword or his lucky coin, that person illegally uses the reputation and design of the original character to make profit out of it and this is illegal. There are several cases existing where Disney sued small companies because they used one of their characters for their business (restaurants, bars, a small book store for example). The problem here is as I mentioned before to make profit with the idea, characters that are copy right protected, like in this example:

The core design was not created by some fan artist, it is not a complete own creation but you can identify this plushy as Leliana from DAO even the clothes are recognisable. She is called Leliana and is sold as such: They try to make money with DAO Bioware's Leliana.

Cullen Rutherford, Solas..... inspired candle? yeah right LOL 100% soy..... yeah that I believe at once. Same person asks for donation too, obviously is unable to get a decent education and get a job, begging for money is easier.......

AGAIN: If you create a plushy or what ever for your OWN use WITHOUT selling it, like for your own cosplay props that is tolerated by most, but making an own business with it and making money out of other ppl's ideas, concept art, characters, the entire DA universe, is illegal and can be sued easily and I have seen enough of such cases.

The excuse: but so many others do it, so it's ok right? does not really work, would you jump off a cliff because others do it? yes? then go ahead but the impact will be hard and merciless (and very expensive). That is why I send out this warning because people do not seem to realize what they get into and think it is just some harmless fan-thing.

After researching a little I found out that some of the artists who produce art for the DA zine are well known for supporting gaza scammers and scam spreaders too, that means they use their art in two ways to make illegal money, with the merch and luring people into scam donation for which they get a piece of the cake too as you can imagine.