"sinking a pirate..." Topic

some may remember my rant about the brazilian IP pirate selling bootleg paper models. my approach (non-forum) seems to have ended up valid.

the illicit vendor was notified by the owning designers in question. result? none.

valid customers, past and future, complained to e bay. stock answer. e bay only responds to IP issues raised by the owner or his/her legal representative. result? none.

the valid designers, according to correspondences with them, stated they had notified e bay of this problem.
with the benefit of doubt going where? perhaps they did not go through the proper "channels" (i.e. IP piracy link specific). result none.

so, how can a person approach this obviously "bad for the hobby" situation?

just like the "guv'ment" does when shutting down organized crime. GO FOR THE MONEY.

as i stated in the previous thread, e bay is closely associated with paypal. paypal provides protection for buyers of illeagal goods.

i got my money back from paypal. when i initiated the dispute, for reasons of inaunthenticity (sic?), paypal stated they may need independent (outside) verification. in my case, they ruled in my favor, no questions asked. i was in the process of gathering the information requested but for now it is filed. authentication can be determined by statement from designer, manufacturer, and approved vendors of a product line. get all you can.

i cannot help but think that perhaps the best approach to shutting down illicit vendors might be making it too expensive to sell stolen goods, IP or otherwise.

DISCLAIMER;
THESE COMMENTS ARE IN NO WAY INTENDED TO DEFRAUD, OR CONSTITUTE A CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD, ANY VENDOR OR CUSTOMER ANYWHERE, FOR ANY REASON. THESE COMMENTS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF TMP OR ANY OF ITS MEMBERS.

RESULT……….pirates deserve a good kicking and the best place to kick em apart from in the is in the wallet.

yes… there are spaces provided for members to "read between the lines"…lol! there are risks, however. one person who bought, who shall remain nameless, left bad feedback for the vendor which resulted in cancellation of e bay account. something about an e bay "flame war". i let the bad guy have the first and the last word at that site but i got THE MONEY! hopefully this is just the first step to shutting such things down for good. it will only work once for each vendor/customer, and i got my first negative in 3 plus years of trading memorabilia, etc. my own little "red badge of courage". don't be afraid to stand up for YOUR hobby.

Laser guided 500lb bombs. That's the answer. And profuse appologies to the neighbours (or next of kin) for the collateral.

Old fashioned way: Ants, stakes and honey.