Haha, dude, just stop talking.
The whole problem with bootlegs comes down to the fact that we, as consumers, unless we do a lot of due diligence, we have no way of really knowing what IS or ISN’T really a bootleg.
1: Some of these brands that DO produce bootlegs do so by copying existing designs without the authorization of those who hold the rights to those designs. These are true bootlegs. Some really go the extra mile by making them appear to be the real thing, which then gets us into the counterfeit area.
2: The grey area. Some of these companies that do make bootlegs may also make original designs. They may save the original deigns for their own product line. At the same time, they may choose to license their original designs to other companies. They may also in turn get licenses from other companies to make yoyos that look and perform just like something else, and hence through licensing, are done with permission. However, the area of what is and isn’t licensed never gets directly addressed.
Some of the companies making bootlegs make great original yoyos as well. All the confusion about what is or isn’t licensed and in which direction, compounded by additional confusion about what are and are not bootlegs is too much to keep track of.
I’m not going to excuse my behavior or trying to come up with some story. My bottom line truth was that the price was too tempting.
If we want to stop bootlegs and counterfeits, we have to start with aggressive legal action. It CAN be done. Shure managed to stop the company they contracted with from making over-runs and selling them under the SHure brand name. However, Shure is well aware of the fact that the company is now still doing the exact same thing, but has made a “different brand name” to sell the same product as. The same factory making other products for other companies just keep making stuff above and beyond the contract and then selling them on the grey market, indistinguishable from the “real thing” because, well, for all intents and purposes it IS the real thing made using all the same materials, down to the brand stamps and everything else that goes with it.
Let’s face it, that part of the world has some questionable ethics. It’s kind of hard to NOT support it when the prices are so low. They know this, and well, sometimes we get lured in by this. Essentially, using the object of this thread, a $66 yoyo for under $9 with free shipping? It begs two questions: Is the YYJ product that grossly over-priced? Granted, an assembled yoyo is more than the sum of it’s amount of raw materials used to make it.
At the same time, it’s kinda nice to have a decent yoyo that you don’t have to give a second thought about if it’s getting beat up.
I’m all for supporting legit products. We all make some mistakes. I’m not correcting the wrong by buying the right item. I was planning to get the real Phenomizm anyways long before I bought the bootleg, but you’ll just have to take my word for it. Because of this bootleg, I bought a Phenom from YYE. I’ll be buying the Phenomizm before the end of the year, bundled with some throws for my kids.
But here’s the biggest reason you might want to also NOT support the bootleggers:
One of their major sites got shut down for some reason not know to me and they’ve done a tiny name change and kept rolling. That angered me beyond belief. So that’s why I won’t be going there anymore and will be keeping my spending with domestic companies from now on.
After seeing the photos, I’m sure mine is the real deal. The bearing seat doesn’t stick up that far and mine is the amber color. The caps actually have the phenomizm logo on it and although they probably could have been changed, i doubt it. It may just be damaged. I might try getting a new axle for it just to see if that helps. Thanks everyone.
Quote from Studio42-“I’m all for supporting legit products. We all make some mistakes. I’m not correcting the wrong by buying the right item. I was planning to get the real Phenomizm anyways long before I bought the bootleg, but you’ll just have to take my word for it. Because of this bootleg, I bought a Phenom from YYE. I’ll be buying the Phenomizm before the end of the year, bundled with some throws for my kids.”
-amen
Thanks for clearing that up. You do not seem like the kinda guy that would make a habit of buying knock offs. I also realize that it’s a tough job being a mod, sorta like being a news reporter that must remain unbiased. It’s a fine line between discussing intellectual theft and actually promoting it. The second metal I ever bought was the Phenom from YYE for a $127, I love it and still have it. I’ve never complained about the price I paid for it. In fact, I’m content that everybody in the financial food chain got fed as they should have been. It’s just that there are so many hard working people in this community and to my knowledge I’ve never seen a K.O. affiliate contribute anything to “us”, except maybe free shipping. What players do they sponsor? What competitions do they sponsor? None of the above is the answer. People can buy anything they want and I’m fine with that. What I don’t like is the idea of giving any of these K.O. thieves a platform of any description. If discussing another vendor on this site is so sanctimoniously wrong then why aren’t threads about bootlegs treated the same? Not trying to be any kind of morality of cop here, after all this thread isn’t specifically promoting bootlegging it’s just seems to be heading that way with comments like how “beast” my K.O. plays. There is a need however to make people aware of who’s selling K.O.'s as the real thing and that needs to continue.
If I hadn’t purchased the Phenomizm bootleg, it wouldn’t change the fact that I would not own a Phenomizm. Bootlegs allow people who couldn’t afford certain yoyos a chance to try something like it. For these types of people, they aren’t taking money out of the manufacturers pockets, as the manufacturer would never have gotten their money to begin with. $9 is a far cry from $65.
Haha, you got me there! I’m busted…if you were to substitute a few of those words (i.e. yoyo with mp3/movies/ebooks…etc.) then, that would be the identical excuse I’d use in defense of some of my past downloads. It just doesn’t sit right with me anymore. It’s like saying “Gee, I think I’ll buy that cheap Surefire flashlight K.O. 'cause $20.00 is cheaper than $160.00, plus Surefire wouldn’t have gotten my cash anyway” Sure, if that’s fine if you know what your getting into but, your not getting the real thing and you’ve never paid the real respect to the innovators that created these products. I’m certainly no angel but I do recognize that an excuse is just that, a cloak to hide yourself from the real issue.
I buy bootleg stuff, knock off stuff, and often I help others find the stuff Im finding. Do I regret it? No. Do I feel any bit of remorse. None at all. And when people try to be all bro that aint right, and try to give me some long reason why blah blah, instant shut off, let go in one ear and out the other. Its your money do with it as you please. Of course you are not getting the legit yoyo, but sometimes when something is expensive, you are willing to setlle for something cheaper and similar. Nothing more to it.
Doesnt mean I don’t respect the originator, of course I do, but sometimes you just can’t afford stuff and you are anxious. Its human, deal with it or buck off.
Thats what I do. Nothin wrong with that.
J
I won’t even argue that. Dead on!
Also, thanks to such tactics though, I’ve lost thousands in royalties from stuff I’ve released being sold over-seas and PTP sharing sites. As in, LITERALLY, one guy in Japan ordered 1 CD. The next thing we knew(a couple of weeks later), it was selling like mad in Japan, yet we weren’t getting any royalties and our label hadn’t shipped anything to Japan… or China(where it spread) in any thing other than a few here and there. So, I know first hand the costs of illegal downloads and music piracy.
On the topic of software piracy, I don’t think people would realize costs would drop a bit(that’s it) if people would stop pirating software.
So, what I did is what I did. It’s too late. Oh well. I’m not attempting to make right by buying a real Phenomizm. I’m buying a real Phenomizm because I really want one. I’d have gotten one eventually anyways, regardless if I bought the bootleg.
I’m just going to go back and stick to my original ethics. Real thing only.
Note: I DO NOT download MP3’s. I actually go into stores and BUY CD’s. Or mail order them. I can’t stand MP3’s, they just plain suck. I ripped my whole CD library at 44.1K/16-bit to a network drive(covered under fair use practices) so I can access the content easier and more conveniently in my house. My in-laws, on the other hand, I GAVE them a CD that my band created, but instead of listening to it, they downloaded it off those PTP file sharing sites and were listening to crappy MP3’s, leaving the CD’s SEALED in the plastic wrap. Some people work so hard to do things wrong, it blows my mind.
Quick note regarding the Phenom and price:
This to date is the most expensive yoyo I’ve purchase. $127 for the nickel Phenom. One throw and I was “Oh yeah, that is SO worth it”. Don’t even try taking it from me, I’ll bite your arm off. That kind of good.
Really, I don’t mind paying for quality.
Spot on Studio42, I’m glad that you seem to recognize my side of my rant.