"15mm Taco Bell Restaurant " Topic

Gamecraft Miniatures released a 15mm Taco Bell restaurant.

Main page
gcmini.mybigcommerce.com

Amicalement
Armand

The one across the street from where I used to live looked just like that.

I think they look just like that everywhere…

I sure hope they covered their legal bases with that.

Correction. They looked like that everywhere. They have been undergoing remodels lately.

What are the legal bases on such a thing?

What are the legal bases on such a thing?

I suspect that logo is a registered trademark…

The name and identity of a business is being used by another business for commercial gain.

Should have called it "Burrito Bell" or "Taco Hell" or something…

Whatever they call it, that's awesome! Might pick one up for the cold war gone hot games. What is the prevalence of Taco Bells in Germany? :)

Damon.

As Rich Bliss says, "They looked like that everywhere."
The buildings are still around, but a lot of the local Taco Bells have changed to a newer design.
Not that that's a problem--take off the Taco Bell sign and replace it with one for the Chinese restaurant over on Circle or the electronics repair place.
Of course, since the Taco Bell is just a hundred yards from where I game, the original model would lend a sense of immediacy to a game.

Grelber

Grelber

I'm pretty sure that even if you approached a company, saying that you make miniature buildings like for model railroads and would like to include their company's restaurants in your range, most companies would say, "sure, call it $0.01 USD a model sold" or something minimally costly like that.

Happy you enjoyed it boys!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Yes, most of the newer ones no longer look like that, sadly.

I need one of these to go with the Grumpy Old Guys of TMP !!!!!!

I've got heartburn already !

@Lion: Companies want to protect their brand. If they say yes, product licensing requires an upfront royalty, as well as subsequent percentage of price royalties. The follow up sales royalties could be minimal (like 5%), but the up front royalty would be substantial and, for a niche hobby like ours, almost certainly cost prohibitive.

@79th: It depends on the company. Did you know that any color of astroturf but green is copyrighted/trademarked by Boise State University?

Do you know how much BSU usually charges for anyone wanting to use an astroturf field that isn't blue (BSUs field color)? $1. USD Total. I don't think BSU has licensed a blue field, because that's BSU's thing, but any other color has been a "the courts require us to actually charge for it, but it will cost you a buck because it's not a significant thing."

It'd be like asking Plasticville how much they pay for their fast food restaurant business likeness licenses, or like asking a fast food company how much they charge a film studio for shooting footage on the street that happens to include their restaurant.

I'd like a 15mm #8 soft shell please.

Mmmm, Taco Bell! I don't eat much fast food, but Taco Bell is one of my occasional guilty pleasures, along with Whataburger.

Oh, Whataburger.

If you don't know it, you don't miss it. If you do, well, you do.

This would be good for a zombie game. Needs fast food worker zombies.

This would be good for a zombie game. Needs fast food worker zombies.

How would they be different from living fast food workers?

Every fast-food employee I've seen in the US would be doing a good impersonation of a Zed, without a trip to the makeup chair!

Now let's get it scaled down to 6mm

@Lion: Apples and Oranges. How much does BSU get for licensing BSU items? That is a more apt comparison.

Re. Plasticville: I don't know if they copied trademarked items, so I can't answer that question.

Re. the McDonald's in a film shoot: as described, that is what is known as an incidental placement and is not subject to fees/royalties.

Without that sign the building looks like it might be useful for any period requiring Hispanic-style structures.

It appears to be based on Taco Bell's original restaurant design:

However other store designs do seem to vary considerably.

It is unlikely that there would be any issue with copying the store itself, but unauthorised use of the trademarked logo 'could' see them object, and would be hard to argue. Taco Bell are not endorsing the product, and it is simply unauthorised use of a trademark.

Licensing is often not a a simple as a nominal charge where it is non-competing. There is value in the logo itself and companies will often charge premium rates, sometimes deliberately… "you want to use our logo? This is the price"

However it is not doing them any harm, and chances are they would pay no attention. That said if it was being portrayed in a bad light (for example as a terrorist hideout) they may be more likely to get upset.

At our local Taco Bell restaurant they are giving away one of these model building kits with every tenth purchase of a Chalupa Supreme Combo Meal.

Seven down, and three to go, before I can collect my free model building kit!

The Gamecraft building?

Better hurry up and buy one for your Zombie games before Gamecraft gets the "cease and desist" letter from PepsiCo's attorneys. Because it's gonna happen fast.

It's owned by Yum!, the same company that owns KFC and Pizza Hut, but "…because of the company's previous relationship with Pepsi, Yum! Brands holds a lifetime contract with PepsiCo"

PepsiCo is, unfortunately, the type of company to heavily defend registered trademarks.

However if dBerczerk is saying they are giving away the Gamecraft building as a marketing tool then it would appear to be an authorised use of the trademark.

What?! No talking Chihuahua?!

Yo quiero Taco Zed!

ScoobyDo: "What?! No talking Chihuahua?!"

It's very quiet now … INSIDE the taco.

Dan

My friends and I went to one of our fav Hispanic/Mex eatheries Fiday night. I love the food but it takes me a couple days to "get back to normal" …

so cool lol