ChapterHouse Studios - Revision history

imported>Administrator: 91 revisions imported

2023-06-20T15:04:33Z

91 revisions imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 15:04, 20 June 2023
(No difference)

imported>Administrator: 1 revision imported

2023-06-18T21:50:19Z

1 revision imported

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151.36.179.194: /* Result */

2023-05-25T11:42:28Z

Result

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:42, 25 May 2023
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	**Renegade Titans - ''Titanicus Traitoris''		**Renegade Titans - ''Titanicus Traitoris''
	*Xenos		*Xenos
	**Eldar - ''Aeldari''		**Eldar - ''Aeldari'' (Eldar is copyrighted bu Tolkien, they can’t use it)
	**Dark Eldar - ''Drukhari''		**Dark Eldar - ''Drukhari''
	**Tau - ''T'au''		**Tau - ''T'au''

1d4chan>ArrogantMcElfpants: /* Lawsuit from Games Workshop */

2022-12-19T21:03:56Z

Lawsuit from Games Workshop

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:03, 19 December 2022
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	However on balance, GW took around 200 specific articles of alleged copyright infringement to court with them, and won about 30% of those. Forcing ChapterHouse to retire many of their own models, as simply making "variations" ''(such as female versions of existing GW models like Farseers & Aspect Warriors)'' still counts as infringment. Plus ChapterHouse was ordered to pay damages for these breaches of copyright and pay court costs, which they were still appealing as of early 2014.		However on balance, GW took around 200 specific articles of alleged copyright infringement to court with them, and won about 30% of those. Forcing ChapterHouse to retire many of their own models, as simply making "variations" ''(such as female versions of existing GW models like Farseers & Aspect Warriors)'' still counts as infringment. Plus ChapterHouse was ordered to pay damages for these breaches of copyright and pay court costs, which they were still appealing as of early 2014.

	Games Workshop had to update their codices to reflect this, stripping out the Mycetic Spores from the Tyranid codex, as well as the Doom of Mal'antai and the Parasite of Mortrex, which also had models made for them, while presumably renaming the [[Imperial Guard]] to the far more trademark-friendly "Astra Militarum", ''(not to mention the removal of several other ICs and units which never had models from their codex)'' , and eventually remembering that their beloved Space Marines had the formal (and more easily trademarked) name of Adeptus Astartes, likely due to the 'Spots the Space Marine' situation.		Games Workshop had to update their codices to reflect this, stripping out the Mycetic Spores from the Tyranid codex, as well as the Doom of Mal'antai and the Parasite of Mortrex (until 9th edition), which also had models made for them, while presumably renaming the [[Imperial Guard]] to the far more trademark-friendly "Astra Militarum", ''(not to mention the removal of several other ICs and units which never had models from their codex)'' , and eventually remembering that their beloved Space Marines had the formal (and more easily trademarked) name of Adeptus Astartes, likely due to the 'Spots the Space Marine' situation.

	All in all, this is generally a good example of Intellectual Property Law at work: If you want to earn a profit by using someone else's IP, then you either have to license it from the owner ''(which GW won't give to competitors)'' or find a way to release original products that the owner has never released or depicted in any media ''(that also goes for creating models based on drawings, i.e. "Derivative Works")''. Also, if the owner doesn't want to find someone filling a niche they themselves could be filling, then they shouldn't create gaps in their own product range.		All in all, this is generally a good example of Intellectual Property Law at work: If you want to earn a profit by using someone else's IP, then you either have to license it from the owner ''(which GW won't give to competitors)'' or find a way to release original products that the owner has never released or depicted in any media ''(that also goes for creating models based on drawings, i.e. "Derivative Works")''. Also, if the owner doesn't want to find someone filling a niche they themselves could be filling, then they shouldn't create gaps in their own product range.

1d4chan>Ow, My Sanity.: /* Result */

2022-05-16T23:13:40Z

Result

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:13, 16 May 2022
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	On 18 November 2014 Chapterhouse announced via Facebook that "the web store will be up and going by the end of the week and I will ship out any orders that were not disputed this week as well. Hopefully the site will be able to stay profitable and I am hoping the defence lines will sell as well as some new products as well."		On 18 November 2014 Chapterhouse announced via Facebook that "the web store will be up and going by the end of the week and I will ship out any orders that were not disputed this week as well. Hopefully the site will be able to stay profitable and I am hoping the defence lines will sell as well as some new products as well."

	Additionally, after the Chapterhouse decision, GW began renaming factions and units from their original and well-loved names to names that can be defended as trademarks in court, with the new name often being [[Fail\|impossible to take seriously.]] It can be assumed that this is an attempt to prevent bits manufacturers from using words that GW is also using when naming their products. The most infamous example of this is [[Age of Sigmar]], in which ''every goddamn name'' was changed to be completely fucking stupid for this purpose, even basic fantasy terms like "[[orc]]" and "[[elf]]." (Which became [[Orruk Warclans\|Orruks]] and [[High_Elves_(Warhammer_Fantasy)#In_Age_of_Sigmar\|Aelves]]. It's [[AIDS]] all the way down from here, people.)		Additionally, after the Chapterhouse decision, GW began renaming factions and units from their original and well-loved names to names that can be defended as trademarks in court, with the new name often being [[Fail\|impossible to take seriously.]] It can be assumed that this is an attempt to prevent bits manufacturers from using words that GW is also using when naming their products. The most infamous example of this is [[Age of Sigmar]], in which ''every goddamn name'' was changed to be completely fucking stupid for this purpose, even basic fantasy terms like "[[orc]]" and "[[elf]]." (Which became [[Orruk Warclans\|Orruks]] and [[High_Elves_(Warhammer_Fantasy)#In_Age_of_Sigmar\|Aelves]]. It's [[AIDS]] [[Fail\|all the way down from here, people.]])

	[[Transformers]] fanboys may compare this to [[Hasbro\|Hasbro's]] issues with "[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blastification blastification]" and prefix/suffix abuse (otherwise known as the '[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NounVerber adjective nounverbers]' phenomenon of AoS and 40k), but the situation with the Transformers franchise is far removed from GW's. First, in several cases Hasbro has actually been forced to change a name because ''another toy company'' claimed the trademark for a classic toy before Hasbro did; this is why several toylines in the early 2000s passed by without a Bumblebee. Second, the market in which Hasbro operates is fucking bananas, with a metric shitload of toy companies competing for shelf space and the threat of bootleg toys from the Walmart bargain bin damaging your company's reputation looming in the background. In this environment, changing a toy's name to be a little goofy is actually a smart business move.		[[Transformers]] fanboys may compare this to [[Hasbro\|Hasbro's]] issues with "[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blastification blastification]" and prefix/suffix abuse (otherwise known as the '[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NounVerber adjective nounverbers]' phenomenon of AoS and 40k), but the situation with the Transformers franchise is far removed from GW's. First, in several cases Hasbro has actually been forced to change a name because ''another toy company'' claimed the trademark for a classic toy before Hasbro did; this is why several toylines in the early 2000s passed by without a Bumblebee. Second, the market in which Hasbro operates is fucking bananas, with a metric shitload of toy companies competing for shelf space and the threat of bootleg toys from the Walmart bargain bin damaging your company's reputation constantly looming in the background (and God fucking help you if the bargain bin toys are the real deal, rather than bootlegs). In this environment, changing a toy's name to be a little goofy is actually a smart business move.

	By contrast, Games Workshop's position in the miniatures wargame market is [[Privateer Press\|almost]] entirely unchallenged, ~~giving them~~ strong claims on the names they were already using for decades, while [[Casting\|bootleggers of GW miniatures]] are all using the same quality process as GW and don't give a fuck about trademarks anyway. So not only is the proliferation of nounverbers and dog Latin passed off as the High Gothic names pointless, it's also completely unnecessary even if it ''did'' work.		By contrast, Games Workshop's position in the miniatures wargame market is [[Privateer Press\|almost]] entirely unchallenged, since they own the biggest of the miniature wargames and overall have a borderline-monopoly over the market as a whole. This means they have strong claims on the names they were already using for decades, while [[Casting\|bootleggers of GW miniatures]] are all using the same quality process as GW and don't give a fuck about trademarks anyway. So not only is the proliferation of nounverbers and dog Latin passed off as the High Gothic names pointless, it's also completely unnecessary even if it ''did'' work.

	In the 8th Edition, Warhammer 40k has also seen the new renaming trend:		In the 8th Edition, Warhammer 40k has also seen the new renaming trend:

1d4chan>Ow, My Sanity.: /* Stopping this from happening to YOU */

2022-05-16T22:57:24Z

Stopping this from happening to YOU

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:57, 16 May 2022
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	====Idea-Expression Divide====		====Idea-Expression Divide====

	This was ChapterHouse's defense (when it succeeded): Facts, ideas, and processes are not copyrightable, only specific expressions of facts and ideas. If someone writes down a description of a model, they have a copyright on what they just wrote - NOT on the model described. If you make a model based on the description before they do (copyright is about whoever makes it first), you own the copyright to that model. In this context, the word "conversion" has no meaning, and the model or model component you have produce is not actually a conversion or part of one - it is your original work. This is how and why model-less cases like the Mycetic Spore went away.		This was ChapterHouse's defense (when it succeeded): Facts, ideas, and processes are not copyrightable, only specific expressions of facts and ideas. If someone writes down a description of a model, they have a copyright on what they just wrote - NOT on the model described. If you make a model based on the description before they do (copyright is about whoever makes it first), you own the copyright to that model. In this context, the word "conversion" has no meaning, and the model or model component you have produce is not actually a conversion or part of one - it is your original work. This is how and why model-less cases like the Mycetic Spore went away - Geedubs didn't make a model before CHS, so CHS making models for them was considered original work.

	====First Sale====		====First Sale====
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	====Fair Use====		====Fair Use====

	[http://tsoalr.com/ Turn Signals On A Land Raider] was a web comic parodying WH40K, and hence was as quintessential an example of "'''Fair Use"''' as exists anywhere - Fair Use is the primary affirmative defense in copyright lawsuits (remember, it's an affirmative defense: You are arguing that even if the allegations in the suit are true, you are protected from liability; this means that you've been sued and are defending yourself in court with it, so you're playing with fire). TSOALR was threatened by GW with a lawsuit, and it was making money - it had ads on its site - and was using WH40K IP to do so, so the lawsuit would not have been thrown out. Unfortunately, Fair Use has not been rigorously or objectively defined in any jurisdiction on the planet, so it's the judge's call, based on the case at hand and any relevant precedent. TSOALR would still easily have won (parody is a subset of criticism, which is the most heavily enshrined kind of Fair Use), but it would have been expensive to do so~~, since it~~ would have ~~had~~ to ~~pay~~ a lawyer ~~to raise the defense in court -~~ money ~~TSOALR did not~~ have. If you intend to protect yourself with Fair Use, familiarize yourself beforehand with the relevant cases you're going to claim as precedent and why you think it's fair use, and be prepared to shell out gobs of money to deal with GW shitting all over you. TSOALR folded rather than go to court, and so we lost one of the mainstays of WH40K fandom (at least until 2018, when GW themselves went and ''hired the author'', so they could [https://www.warhammer-community.com/tsoalr/ officially revive it]).		[http://tsoalr.com/ Turn Signals On A Land Raider] was a web comic parodying WH40K, and hence was as quintessential an example of "'''Fair Use"''' as exists anywhere - Fair Use is the primary affirmative defense in copyright lawsuits (remember, it's an affirmative defense: You are arguing that even if the allegations in the suit are true, you are protected from liability; this means that you've been sued and are defending yourself in court with it, so you're playing with fire). TSOALR was threatened by GW with a lawsuit, and it was making money - it had ads on its site - and was using WH40K IP to do so, so the lawsuit would not have been thrown out.

			Unfortunately, Fair Use has not been rigorously or objectively defined in any jurisdiction on the planet, so it's the judge's call, based on the case at hand and any relevant precedent. TSOALR would still easily have won (parody is a subset of criticism, which is the most heavily enshrined kind of Fair Use), but it would have been expensive to do so (TSOALR would have needed to hire a defence lawyer, which needed money they didn't have). If you intend to protect yourself with Fair Use, familiarize yourself beforehand with the relevant cases you're going to claim as precedent and why you think it's fair use, and be prepared to shell out gobs of money to deal with GW shitting all over you. TSOALR folded rather than go to court, and so we lost one of the mainstays of WH40K fandom (at least until 2018, when GW themselves went and ''hired the author'', so they could [https://www.warhammer-community.com/tsoalr/ officially revive it]).

	====Public Domain====		====Public Domain====
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	If no one holds the copyright to the model you're converting, no one can claim damages against you in court. There aren't many models in the public domain, but if you do find one, do with it whatever you like - that's the whole point of it.		If no one holds the copyright to the model you're converting, no one can claim damages against you in court. There aren't many models in the public domain, but if you do find one, do with it whatever you like - that's the whole point of it.

	The significance of this is that, apparently, all historical items fall into the public domain. It's hard to explain why Flames of War, Warlord Games, Trumpeter, Tamiya and other all make Sherman tank models without ~~sueing~~ the snot out of each other ~~otherwise~~. This would in turn explain Games Workshop's move to rebrand the "Imperial Guard" and "Storm Troopers", both terms used by real world military units, to the more ~~trade markable~~ "Astra Militarum" and "Tempestus Scions."		The significance of this is that, apparently, all historical items fall into the public domain. It's hard to explain why Flames of War, Warlord Games, Trumpeter, Tamiya and other all make Sherman tank models without suing the snot out of each other. This would in turn explain Games Workshop's move to rebrand the "Imperial Guard" and "Storm Troopers", both terms used by real world military units, to the more trademarkable "Astra Militarum" and "Tempestus Scions."

	====Not All IP is Copyright====		====Not All IP is Copyright====

	The above ~~defenses~~ work against copyright lawsuits; trademark infringement (and patent, but odds are incredibly slim you'll run up against patent law for this) is an entirely different discussion. Trademark infringement is trivial to defend against, if you want to play it really safe, because trademarks apply only to incredibly specific expressions of ideas, like 'Astra Militarum'. If you just don't use those terms, trademark isn't relevant and can't be successfully brought against you. Trademarks are usually where it becomes relevant to get a license from the owning company, because trademarks serve as an indication of the origin of the good or service.		The above defences work against copyright lawsuits; trademark infringement (and patent, but odds are incredibly slim you'll run up against patent law for this) is an entirely different discussion. Trademark infringement is trivial to defend against, if you want to play it really safe, because trademarks apply only to incredibly specific expressions of ideas, like 'Astra Militarum'. If you just don't use those terms, trademark isn't relevant and can't be successfully brought against you. Trademarks are usually where it becomes relevant to get a license from the owning company, because trademarks serve as an indication of the origin of the good or service.
	:For example: if you sell female Imperial Guard you made yourself, but call them Astra Militarum, customers might get confused about where the models are coming from, and conclude that GW is the original source of the models; or in other situations, even if the customer is completely aware of the third party source, they might believe due to the use of the name that the models are officially sanctioned or licensed by GW. If you did this to intentionally mislead them, it would be considered fraud.		:For example: if you sell female Imperial Guard you made yourself, but call them Astra Militarum, customers might get confused about where the models are coming from, and conclude that GW is the original source of the models; or in other situations, even if the customer is completely aware of the third party source, they might believe due to the use of the name that the models are officially sanctioned or licensed by GW. If you did this to intentionally mislead them, it would be considered fraud.

1d4chan>Ow, My Sanity.: /* Result */

2022-05-08T11:19:57Z

Result

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:19, 8 May 2022
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	On 14 November 2014 [https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/downloadAttach/203680.page] the case was settled between the companies. The appeals from both sides were dismissed "with prejudice" (cannot be re-litigated) in a "Joint Dismissal" (meaning they both agreed to it): The $25,000 damages sought by GW were waived and the asset freeze was lifted. Each side has to pay its own legal fees (Chapterhouse was represented pro bono, of course).		On 14 November 2014 [https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/downloadAttach/203680.page] the case was settled between the companies. The appeals from both sides were dismissed "with prejudice" (cannot be re-litigated) in a "Joint Dismissal" (meaning they both agreed to it): The $25,000 damages sought by GW were waived and the asset freeze was lifted. Each side has to pay its own legal fees (Chapterhouse was represented pro bono, of course).

	On 18 November 2014 Chapterhouse announced via Facebook that "the web store will be up and going by the end of the week and I will ship out any orders that were not disputed this week as well. Hopefully the site will be able to stay profitable and I am hoping the ~~defense~~ lines will sell as well as some new products as well."		On 18 November 2014 Chapterhouse announced via Facebook that "the web store will be up and going by the end of the week and I will ship out any orders that were not disputed this week as well. Hopefully the site will be able to stay profitable and I am hoping the defence lines will sell as well as some new products as well."

	Additionally, after the Chapterhouse decision, GW began renaming factions and units from their original and well-loved names to names that can be defended as trademarks in court, with the new name often being [[Fail\|impossible to take seriously.]] It can be assumed that this is an attempt to prevent bits manufacturers from using words that GW is also using when naming their products. The most infamous example of this is [[Age of Sigmar]], in which ''every goddamn name'' was changed to be completely fucking stupid for this purpose, even basic fantasy terms like "[[orc]]" and "[[elf]]." [[Transformers]] fanboys may compare this to [[Hasbro\|Hasbro's]] issues with "[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blastification blastification]" and prefix/suffix abuse (otherwise known as the 'adjective nounverbers' phenomenon of AoS and 40k), but the situation with the Transformers franchise is far removed from GW's. First, in several cases Hasbro has actually been forced to change a name because ''another toy company'' claimed the trademark for a classic toy before Hasbro did; this is why several toylines in the early 2000s passed by without a Bumblebee. Second, the market in which Hasbro operates is fucking bananas, with a metric shitload of toy companies competing for shelf space and the threat of bootleg toys from the Walmart bargain bin damaging your company's reputation looming in the background. In this environment, changing a toy's name to be a little goofy is actually a smart business move. Games Workshop's position in the miniatures wargame market is [[Privateer Press\|almost]] entirely unchallenged, giving them strong claims on the names they were already using for decades, ~~and~~ [[Casting\|bootleggers of GW miniatures]] are all using the same quality process as GW and don't give a fuck about trademarks anyway. So not only is the proliferation of nounverbers and dog Latin passed off as the High Gothic names pointless, it's also completely unnecessary even if it ''did'' work.		Additionally, after the Chapterhouse decision, GW began renaming factions and units from their original and well-loved names to names that can be defended as trademarks in court, with the new name often being [[Fail\|impossible to take seriously.]] It can be assumed that this is an attempt to prevent bits manufacturers from using words that GW is also using when naming their products. The most infamous example of this is [[Age of Sigmar]], in which ''every goddamn name'' was changed to be completely fucking stupid for this purpose, even basic fantasy terms like "[[orc]]" and "[[elf]]." (Which became [[Orruk Warclans\|Orruks]] and [[High_Elves_(Warhammer_Fantasy)#In_Age_of_Sigmar\|Aelves]]. It's [[AIDS]] all the way down from here, people.)

			[[Transformers]] fanboys may compare this to [[Hasbro\|Hasbro's]] issues with "[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blastification blastification]" and prefix/suffix abuse (otherwise known as the '[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NounVerber adjective nounverbers]' phenomenon of AoS and 40k), but the situation with the Transformers franchise is far removed from GW's. First, in several cases Hasbro has actually been forced to change a name because ''another toy company'' claimed the trademark for a classic toy before Hasbro did; this is why several toylines in the early 2000s passed by without a Bumblebee. Second, the market in which Hasbro operates is fucking bananas, with a metric shitload of toy companies competing for shelf space and the threat of bootleg toys from the Walmart bargain bin damaging your company's reputation looming in the background. In this environment, changing a toy's name to be a little goofy is actually a smart business move.

			By contrast, Games Workshop's position in the miniatures wargame market is [[Privateer Press\|almost]] entirely unchallenged, giving them strong claims on the names they were already using for decades, while [[Casting\|bootleggers of GW miniatures]] are all using the same quality process as GW and don't give a fuck about trademarks anyway. So not only is the proliferation of nounverbers and dog Latin passed off as the High Gothic names pointless, it's also completely unnecessary even if it ''did'' work.

	In the 8th Edition, Warhammer 40k has also seen the new renaming trend:		In the 8th Edition, Warhammer 40k has also seen the new renaming trend:

2001:861:3204:39D0:C55D:DBEE:52A4:ACF5: /* Result */ put a working link to the court result

2021-12-14T00:03:20Z

Result: put a working link to the court result

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:03, 14 December 2021
Line 20:		Line 20:
	In October 2014 Chapterhouse shut down their website after having their assets frozen by Games Workshop.		In October 2014 Chapterhouse shut down their website after having their assets frozen by Games Workshop.

	On 14 November 2014[[https://www~~.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CC4QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww~~.dakkadakka.com~~%2Fdakkaforum%2Fposts%2FdownloadAttach%2F203680~~.page~~&ei=KfNoVOH5MdTasAS6-4HoBA&usg=AFQjCNFYJrz-tAZimprelIjxCpWNv2F7CA&sig2=FUMkGA2kVaeUX7jO3foNhA&bvm=bv.79142246,bs.1,d.d2s]~~] the case was settled between the companies. The appeals from both sides were dismissed "with prejudice" (cannot be re-litigated) in a "Joint Dismissal" (meaning they both agreed to it): The $25,000 damages sought by GW were waived and the asset freeze was lifted. Each side has to pay its own legal fees (Chapterhouse was represented pro bono, of course).		On 14 November 2014 [https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/downloadAttach/203680.page] the case was settled between the companies. The appeals from both sides were dismissed "with prejudice" (cannot be re-litigated) in a "Joint Dismissal" (meaning they both agreed to it): The $25,000 damages sought by GW were waived and the asset freeze was lifted. Each side has to pay its own legal fees (Chapterhouse was represented pro bono, of course).

	On 18 November 2014 Chapterhouse announced via Facebook that "the web store will be up and going by the end of the week and I will ship out any orders that were not disputed this week as well. Hopefully the site will be able to stay profitable and I am hoping the defense lines will sell as well as some new products as well."		On 18 November 2014 Chapterhouse announced via Facebook that "the web store will be up and going by the end of the week and I will ship out any orders that were not disputed this week as well. Hopefully the site will be able to stay profitable and I am hoping the defense lines will sell as well as some new products as well."

1d4chan>ZeonPonyWolf: /* Result */

2021-01-30T00:54:02Z

Result

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:54, 30 January 2021
Line 28:		Line 28:
	In the 8th Edition, Warhammer 40k has also seen the new renaming trend:		In the 8th Edition, Warhammer 40k has also seen the new renaming trend:
	*Imperium		*Imperium
			**Stormtroopers - ''Tempestus Scions''
	**Imperial Guard - ''Astra Militarum''		**Imperial Guard - ''Astra Militarum''
	**Imperial Knights - ''Questor Imperialis''		**Imperial Knights - ''Questor Imperialis''

1d4chan>HussarZwei: /* Gallery */

2020-02-10T16:57:51Z

Gallery

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:57, 10 February 2020
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	So while GW's new trend of changing names ''(Imperial Guard > Astra Militarum, Space Marines > Adeptus Astartes and others)'' makes sense, since not having enforceable trademarks for things practically invites other manufacturers to invent their own models and call them by similar names. So by putting their unique and legally protected signature all over it is something they should have actually started their business with, since other producers cannot '''legally''' sell their products using a GW trademark and create market confusion ''(bootleggers/re-casters don't care however)''. But since Trademark and Copyright remain two totally '''separate''' issues of IP law, just because you're not infringing trademarks don't think you're automatically protected from copyright infringement. Even if you call your new third party model by completely generic names ''(or even names you believe are original)'', you may still have to demonstrate on a model-by-model basis that it is an original and distinct design and form of artistic expression and run the risk of a lawsuit if your new model is too similar to something that has come before.		So while GW's new trend of changing names ''(Imperial Guard > Astra Militarum, Space Marines > Adeptus Astartes and others)'' makes sense, since not having enforceable trademarks for things practically invites other manufacturers to invent their own models and call them by similar names. So by putting their unique and legally protected signature all over it is something they should have actually started their business with, since other producers cannot '''legally''' sell their products using a GW trademark and create market confusion ''(bootleggers/re-casters don't care however)''. But since Trademark and Copyright remain two totally '''separate''' issues of IP law, just because you're not infringing trademarks don't think you're automatically protected from copyright infringement. Even if you call your new third party model by completely generic names ''(or even names you believe are original)'', you may still have to demonstrate on a model-by-model basis that it is an original and distinct design and form of artistic expression and run the risk of a lawsuit if your new model is too similar to something that has come before.

	==Gallery==		=Gallery=
	<gallery>		<gallery>
	File:CH Heresy-Era Terminator.jpg\|[[Original character, do not steal\|'''Exhibit A''']]: Actually marketed as "Heresy Era Terminator". Something like this was a lawsuit waiting to happen, due to trademark (not copyright) infringement.		File:CH Heresy-Era Terminator.jpg\|[[Original character, do not steal\|'''Exhibit A''']]: Actually marketed as "Heresy Era Terminator". Something like this was a lawsuit waiting to happen, due to trademark (not copyright) infringement.