Ebay engine cover dress up and orange paint

[Rounki]

Posted in the TX forum but thought this would be a better place. Found these acrylic dress up set and data plate from ebay. Even better was that he was local so I picked em right up. Had to grind down the 'V8' and cut out the 'Chevrolet' on each side. Painted the sides orange and stuck them on. The pieces have a brushed aluminum/stainless steel look but are made from acrylic. The vented side covers are an alternative to those that are using mesh. What do you guys think?

[CamaroDreams07]

Lol wonder where they got the idea for those pieces, especially the last one. Are they licensed to use those logos?

[Rounki]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Lol wonder where they got the idea for those pieces, especially the last one. Are they licensed to use those logos?

Not sure....when I went to pick them up I talked to him and seems he's been providing for the GTO crowd for a while.

[2010 SSRS]

those look great

[dragonZ28]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Are they licensed to use those logos?

No; he's not.

It amazes me - the amount of people out there who will willingly, blatantly, and publicly sell something illegally. GM is on a huge crackdown on these unlicensed Joe's right now, and trust me, GM wants all the money they are entitled to at the moment. Purchasing these items just perpetuates their selling behavior, while legitimate sellers like us have to sit by the wayside and watch.

He is on borrowed time, and GM will go after him for all the damages they have incurred once they get one of their copyright/trademark attorneys on him.

Matt Neace

[rareslick]

...

[Kendell347]

Looks nice!

[jagan323]

Is this guy a bot? I seriously see him showing off his engine bay everytime someone posts something similar.

Originally Posted by rareslick

Nice paint job i like those plates what them on my mine

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by dragonZ28

No; he's not.

It amazes me - the amount of people out there who will willingly, blatantly, and publicly sell something illegally. GM is on a huge crackdown on these unlicensed Joe's right now, and trust me, GM wants all the money they are entitled to at the moment. Purchasing these items just perpetuates their selling behavior, while legitimate sellers like us have to sit by the wayside and watch.

He is on borrowed time, and GM will go after him for all the damages they have incurred once they get one of their copyright/trademark attorneys on him.

Matt Neace

I know I unwittingly bought an unlicensed product. When I found out, I told Roger I needed to replace it with an actual licensed hood emblem, quite a few months later I finally was able to. Glad I did, but man I wish I could have the $100 back from the original illegal one.

Originally Posted by jagan323

Is this guy a bot? I seriously see him showing off his engine bay everytime someone posts something similar.

LOL I was thinking the same thing. A lot of them aren't even anything similar. He's extremely annoying.

[RedRyder]

I like the concept of it though...hint hint emblempros...

But here's the fine print on the ebay description, so he at least thinks its ok:

"I AM NOT SELLING THE LOGOS OR DERIVING ANY MONEY FROM THEIR USE. I AM SELLING THE MATERIAL.
IT IS THE BUYERS RIGHT BY OWNING THE PRODUCT TO DISPLAY THE LOGOS ALREADY ON THEIR VEHICLE
IT IS YOUR CHOICE IF YOU WANT TO REPLICATE THE LOGOS ON YOUR VEHICLE ON TO THESE PARTS.
CHEVROLET DOES NOT CURRENTLY OFFER THESE PARTS AND IS NOT LOOSING REVENUE BY THEIR MANUFACTURE
I AM A SHOW CAR BUILDER AND BELIEVE THESE ITEMS ENHANCE CHEVROLET'S MARKETABILITY
AND BY GETTING PEOPLE TO OPEN THEIR HOODS, IN FACT MAKES MONEY FOR CHEVROLET.
I CLAIM FAIR USE FOR CHEVROLET OWNERS AS FREE ADVERTISING FOR GM"

Loosy Goosy

[dragonZ28]

Thanks for posting this. I did not see it the other day, on his auctions.

But here's the fine print on the ebay description, so he at least thinks its ok:

"I AM NOT SELLING THE LOGOS OR DERIVING ANY MONEY FROM THEIR USE. I AM SELLING THE MATERIAL.
IT IS THE BUYERS RIGHT BY OWNING THE PRODUCT TO DISPLAY THE LOGOS ALREADY ON THEIR VEHICLE
IT IS YOUR CHOICE IF YOU WANT TO REPLICATE THE LOGOS ON YOUR VEHICLE ON TO THESE PARTS.
CHEVROLET DOES NOT CURRENTLY OFFER THESE PARTS AND IS NOT LOOSING REVENUE BY THEIR MANUFACTURE
I AM A SHOW CAR BUILDER AND BELIEVE THESE ITEMS ENHANCE CHEVROLET'S MARKETABILITY
AND BY GETTING PEOPLE TO OPEN THEIR HOODS, IN FACT MAKES MONEY FOR CHEVROLET.
I CLAIM FAIR USE FOR CHEVROLET OWNERS AS FREE ADVERTISING FOR GM"

So this is only a simple Public Service Announcement.

Unfortunately for him this will not work. If it did, I could save many thousands of dollars a year. Maybe I will call my GM contact and ask him if I can do this too.
This is the "disclaimer"/"excuse" a lot of guys try to use. He is not the first person to try this. Making money does not matter. Reproduction of the logos to sell a product it is emblazened on without permission is copyright infringement, if the trademark holder does not collect a royalty and the manufacturer does not receive the trademark holder's permission. GM can take all of his revenue from copyright infringement sales if they see fit; not just profits. These parts would not sell without the logos, so the logos are being sold. GM's attorneys are not idiots.
His problem is that use of the logos is selling these. If all he is selling is material, then remove the logos and just sell the material.
It's basically telling GM's attorneys, "Hey, nah-na-nah-na you can't get me". It could likely encourage a reaction.

He is right, GM is not getting revenue off of these - because he isn't paying them. By his excuse, nobody would ever require licensing of any kind... surely, he can't believe this is true. No matter what he wants to post up as a disclaimer, he is violating federal trademark law.