Here's an idea for Lego, Why not sell the instructions to these sets with links for users to buy the bricks required to complete them via their pick a brick site? Maybe sell the instructions for £20 but with a £15 pick a brick credit or something, The designer then gets some commission and Lego make money without the expense of producing a product for retail.
That's essentially what the Bricklink Moc Pop-Up store was. It was a limited time pilot last year where there were certain sets from BDP that were not finalists had their instructions offered for sale and Bricklink gave auto parts picking through Bricklink and/or pick a brick.
@@MoogleMog it was only available for a few months then ended, although it's possible it could return in the future. I believe you can see the models that were offered in you go to Bricklink -- programs -- previous programs -- Moc pop up store or something like that. Not really any alternatives right now other than Rebrickable or sites like that.
You would think companies like IdeaSteal could work out some kind of deal with designers like Marcus. Give them credit, give them some money, and I'm sure he wouldn't be asking for a lot. Because like you pointed out, most of Lego Ideas submissions are not accepted, and now the designer can't sell them. So maybe even if IdeaSteal wanted to pay Marcus, it would be a violation of the agreement he entered into with Lego. I think Lego should let the submissions revert back to the designers once the competition is over, and these 3rd party companies might be able to pay the designers something for them. Thanks for the informative video and I look forward to your reviews.
Lego's quality control has gone downhill in recent years. Certain colors tend to be more brittle than others, browns, pearlescent gold, dark red, some shades of gray. I have Lego pieces that are over 40 years old and regardless of color they are all quite durable, survivng drops off of tables, being stepped on, or even getting sucked up by a vacuum. I've had some pearlescent gold pieces break just from trying to connect two pieces together, and brown pieces snap in half while trying to remove one piece from another. As much as I'm a a brand loyalist, this slip in quality control and the hyper inflated prices driven up by all their licensing agreements, have me looking at other brands.
I restarted my collection last August and I have lost many cheese wedges. Plus a couple of pink one by ones. They split in half. I make ducks and have a pink castle with turrets that use cheese wedges. The ducks heads are cheese wedges.
I knew brown has had issues historically. Didn't know about the newer issues though. My hope is that increased pressure from quality LEGO competitors will force them to step their game up.
@@NewBrickerton I buy sets for the parts it's cheaper than pick a brick for me and I get sets with cheese wedges. I can't pick the colors though. I have alot of earth tones. I also get alot of earth tone jumper plates. I buy alot of clearance brickheadz.
I've bought a few knockoffs of sets that were retired, kept the stickers and all the pieces with no studs and replaced what I could with actual Lego pieces. Now I have sets that are 90% Lego for a fraction of the price of the used market.
Lego stole the entire idea of toy plastic bricks from the Kiddiecraft Company, so they are a knock-off and rip-off themselves. Before the bricks, Lego used to only make wooden toys. For these Lego Losers out there to say "fake Lego" is ridiculous because Lego is completely a stolen product in and of itself. The Chinese companies are cheaper and way more original, intricate,l and innovative for MOC builds, so it's ridiculous to say, "I would never buy 'fake Lego'!" Buy the so-called "knock-offs" to your heart's content because what the Lego Losers say is baloney!!!
@@NewBrickerton Lego stole their plastic toy bricks from the Kiddiecraft Company, so they are a knock-off and rip-off themselves. Before the bricks, Lego used to only make wooden toys. For these Lego Losers out there to say "fake Lego" is ridiculous because Lego is completely a stolen product in and of itself. The Chinese companies are cheaper and way more original, intricate, and innovative for MOC builds, so it's ridiculous to say, "I would never buy 'fake Lego'!" Buy the so-called "knock-offs" to your heart's content because what the Lego Losers say is baloney!!!
@@rodneyboehner3007 True Lego was a copycat for about 3 decades stealing Kiddiecrafts ideas and models and infringing patents.going as far as company espionage. They only bought the rights in 1981
Great video. I too support alternative brick companies, but stolen designs from either Lego or worse, fan designers, is absolutely terrible. This hurts more ethical alt brick companies like Cada that actually pay and credit MOC designers for their unique designs in their released sets. Thanks for the really well made video highlighting this topic and issue.
@@danykwoodThe designs, instructions, etc are stolen from the LEGO company. When we buy those copied/stolen sets it helps the companies steal from LEGO. I guess a lot of people buy counterfeit products. 🤔
Lego to IdeaStealCo: “You are trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolen, and I think it quite ungentlemanly.” (William Goldman, The Princess Bride)
Great video and good on you for doing your research and making sure that the designer was aware rather than continuing with the review. I think it is great that you instead made sure to highlight the work of the designer because they obviously make some great designs!
Brickster is my absolute favourite Lego IDEAS submitter. Their Art Gallery is particularly outstanding. It's just a shame that Lego doesn't appear to have approved any of their submissions yet (possibly because they're mostly modular, and not based on any IPs). I wish there was some way of getting around this, so that we, the generaly public, could get our hands on some of their designs, but the only thing I can think of is that they submit them through the BrickLink Designer Program.
True! The only other option is that they submit the designs on Rebrickable, which would allow consumers to pay for the instructions but they would have to source the parts themselves to build it which isn't as accessible as selling the whole set.
@@NewBrickerton Your video is one of ignorance. Lego doesn't own the designs from fans, so to say it's copyrighted is false because Lego can't copyright other people's ideas, even if they give them 1% of the proceeds. They would have to buy them outright from fans and then copyright them (which they don't do), so Lego is basically stealing fans' ideas as well, so who cares if 3rd party companies do the same thing as Lego. Also, Lego bricks in general are basically a rip-off of the Kiddiecraft bricks from long long ago, so the idea of "fake Legos" is laughable. Lego is actually "fake Kiddiecrafts". That's like saying all other motorcycles are "fake Harleys" when it was the Indian Motorcycle company that invented the motorcycle, or all other cars are "fake Fords" when it was Benz that invented the car.
@@rodneyboehner3007 My argument is that while LEGO Ideas may be exploitative, it is still an agreement by both parties, so even if LEGO Ideas is unfair, it's even more unfair to do so without asking. That's my distinction here. I'm fully onboard with everything else you said.
@@NewBrickerton Automatic agreements are not copyrightable. Unless Lego licenses off of an actual copyright from a creator, Lego is also stealing IP from creators. So the Chinese are doing nothing wrong. So you supposedly honor dishonorable agreements that aren't even contracts to begin with. Let's face it. The history of Lego is that they ripped off Kiddicraft by stealing and copying Kiddicraft's product of the modern plastic toy bricks. The Chinese companying doing it now and undercutting Lego is thus fair because the bricks aren't Lego's IP to begin with. Like I said, it's like saying other motorcycle companies are ripping off Harley-Davidson when Harley actually ripped off the motorcycle from Indian, the actual inventor of the motorcycle. Harley has no copyright to the invention they originally ripped off from someone less. There is no honor among thieves.
It’s soooooooo expensive!! There needs to be some competition to bring Lego prices down. I started as an anti-fake lego, but in the prices Lego is charging, I don’t feel guilty any more.
I am so happy Marcus's set is actually in the series 2 lineup! I'm absolutely ordering one when pre-orders becomes available! Already have a calendar reminder so I don't miss out! It'll be a perfect addition to the modular section of my City!
Great video! And as someone who has kept a keen eye on Marcos' designs, via Lego IDEAS, for a long time, I really hope your subscribers here can join you and I in doing all we can to champion his designs/submissions whether it be via the standard Lego IDEAS program, or via he BrinkLink Designer one. Like I say, Marcos is my favourite fan/MOC designer.
It always gets me annoyed when people just say Lego is getting greedy with the price increases. I work in plastic molding as a QA, molds are expensive, and with Lego having new unique pieces over and over again, molds for those, especially with Lego's high QA specs, can cost millions each just in material alone. And that's for each mold, even if they have to redo it for some change or make duplicates for different factories. Back in the early 2000s, there weren't that many unique pieces, so they didn't need that many molds to make many sets. But look at today's sets, especially with minifigures, we are getting new hair pieces, new leg pieces, new bikes, wheelchairs, arms, adding in hearing devices, prosthetics, and disabilities. All need new molds for each, and those molds are pricey. Now look at printing. Each print, each color, needs what is known as a cliché, or a cavity in a metal plate for ink to pool for a pad to pick up and place on what you're printing on. Each design, each color, each piece, needs its own cliché, and those are also pricey. Compare precisely milling a metal plate to printing sticker sheets, it would take a LOT of sticker sheets to match a cliché plus QA for those parts, the ink being mixed properly, the pads, and the machine. Add into that the cost of materials like the plastic itself has gone up due to the increase in oil prices. And that's just for the plastic alone, let alone the metal for the aforementioned molds. And the cost of living has also gone up, so employees need to be paid more so they can still live the same way while prices everywhere are going up. That goes into the sales price as well. And that's all before we get into just inflation itself. The value of the dollar has halved in just 30 years, a copy of Mario Kart 64 in the 1990s was $60, which is $124 today. The price of everything is going up, it's not just Lego. It just annoys me that people will just point to greed for everything without going into the details of the why. Yeah, some companies are greedy and do raise prices for greed alone, but Lego doesn't seem to be doing that. Sets have become more complicated with more detailed pieces and unique minifigures, and just more pieces in general. Just pointing to two numbers at two very different times doesn't give you the why they are different, and the reason can be very complex, and people don't get that. Yes, it's the thing to hate on big companies, but not all companies are the same. Blanketly hating on everything that fits 1 category is how nothing gets better cause we only are looking towards something to hate while ignoring all the good. We should be highlighting what Lego does better than other companies and push other companies to do better, but hating on them all for varying reasons while ignoring the good, is how no company learns how to do better since all they see is people hating with no reason.
Glad to see you talking about this, sorry about my dear friend Marcos. I was one of the first Lego Ideas designers who had a lot of LEGO Ideas projects stolen, when I say a lot I mean more than 6 projects in 2 years, logically I received nothing, no communication or the option to say yes or no . Marcos and I are not the only ones, there are more than 20 Lego ideas creators suffering from the same attack of intellectual property theft. Thank you very much for your video and greetings to my friend Marcos from here. :)
I love how the bus stop has 211b on it, which is the number on the tiny Lego London bus from couple years ago, and coincidently Sherlock Holmes' house address number
Thanks for posting this! I first learned of this design from this video. Then I followed its updates once I realized it was selected as one of the 5 final designs. This is an amazing design! Definitely the best MOC train station I’ve seen so far, and my second favorite LEGO train station (second only to the iconic yellow train station) from the official train lineup. Congrats to the designer. I’ve just ordered two copies on BL. Can’t wait to get them!
Regarding some points in your first chapter: I and many others have observed Lego's quality control dipping, notably with their lack of brick color consistency within the same sets. Given that, plus Lego's ever-incresing prices, it would be doubly unfortunate for anyone who likes building with bricks to avoid all the legit non-Lego companies out there (as opposed to the pirate companies that steal Lego designs and resell them). I've built a ton of Cobi sets, for example, and have found their brick quality and consistency easily equals or surpasses Lego in every regard; plus, you get different subject matter and building techniques, thanks to unique elements you won't find in Lego. The close-minded fanatics are really missing out.
@@NewBrickerton hopefully Lego will hire him. There have been some pretty good sets made recently but I continue to question some of Lego's design decisions.
I remember when I once joined a lego subreddit and got an immediate warning after I asked around about opinion of others on non-legos (its a taboo topic on r/lego subreddit)
Hi blackjack!! Yes, it's very taboo in some portions of the community. I'm fine with anyone who wants Lego only but don't know why people are so against others trying out other brands
Self justification of selfish behaviors will be the death or creativity. Thank you for sharing this particular story and trying to turn your experience into a positive for the creator.
Leaving aside the predatory conditions of Lego Ideas, what about when it is Lego itself that steal fan designs? For example, both the orchid and the succulent set from the botanical line were ideas that reached 10'000 subscribers, were discarded, and a couple of years later come out as "original" sets, of course without any recognition for the original author...
In reference to the first part about “fake” LEGO, more and more frequently I’ve had to take bricks from my own inventory to complete sets because LEGO’s quality control has taken a serious dip (likely because of arrogance, since they don’t have very many successful competitors). I mean, we’ve all complained about printing, but it’s getting to the point that bricks come in broken, missing, with a piece to a completely different set and theme, or even parts being placed in the wrong bags (not as big of an issue, but very confusing and frustrating when you have to question if you’ll need it later or you messed up on a step somewhere several pages back). The way I go about it is the Godly or ethical way. If the building brick company produces any sets that LEGO currently does as well, for it is considered as theft and I don’t buy anything from that company as not to suppose thieves even if they also sell sets that LEGO has never produced. With LEGO ideas now, that’s an additional thing you have to keep an eye out for. I probably still wouldn’t bother with companies that operate in China, and even ones that don’t, the risk of getting low quality plastic that either doesn’t clutch, or you have to force together with the mighty of the Incredible Hulk, is too high. Not worth the headache.
I've built like 20 knock off lego sets and around 300 official sets, and I've had way more missing/broken pieces in knock off sets than official sets. I think I've had like 3 sets that were missing 1 piece each and like 9 knock off sets missing a piece and having like 3 pieces in reallt bad condition
Oh wow I didn't even know about this. If it is the set I'm thinking off I was literally planning on buying that for my city! The best compromise you haven't mentioned that you can do. Buy the instructions from the designer themselves and then order the bricks from any supplier be it Lego or an Alt brick company. Everyone wins.
I'd love to review independent MOCs. Actually, I have one in mind I should review soon. Your solution about paying the designer for the instructions is spot on. In that case, they might as well list their instructions on Rebrickable for a fee and try to get something out of it.
@@NewBrickerton I'd love Marcos to put some of his designs on Rebrickable, but I suppose he has to wait for the 3 year copyright limit to elapse with Lego before he can do so... That said, I'd much prefer some of his sets to be officially authorised, simply because in view of the immense size and complexity of a lot of his designs, I can see them being more expensive and time-consuming to make if one were to buy bricks in instalments, rather than as one purchase (although perhaps you might regard it as affordable if one were to go via a third party brick manufacturer).
I read the Lego IDEAS and wonder why anyone would give Lego their ideas giving up all rights to IT. Someone should never give up rights to their original work, hence as we all learned why. It can be stolen with no compensation for the owner. And only 1% of sakes. I was a loyal AFOL. Not after I learned about this program, their Ambassador program sucks, and to top that off people do not realize ALL Legos are manufactured by machines. THEIR factories are AUTOMATED only a handful of workers work their. So it begs to question with hardly BP overhead WHY are Legos so expensive. Especially when it is most ALL AUTOMATION and other companies can charge a fraction for the same brick count. Lego has become a company of theives as far as I am concerned. It really broke my heart....
And the billion dollar investment in Vido that failed. LEGO here recently also invested another billion in Minecraft. Waiting to see how that plays out.
I don’t hate fake Lego personally I just don’t buy it because it’s resale value is essentially £0. If I buy a Lego set and I get bored of it or want to make space I can sell an official set super easily and a lot of the time for about as much as I paid for it. Not to mention that a lot of no name brands have terrible quality standards compared to official lego. I brought a display case for mini figures and it includes fake Lego plates but they are just awful, some studs are too big some are too small. So bad I placed a bricklink order to replace them with official Lego so my mini figures don’t break or fall over. I don’t get the hate, like Lego isn’t paying me to talk down on their competitors so I just don’t care about them but I have seen people who violently dislike them. Obviously companies like mould king are bad because not only do they have the normal knock off problems but they steal Mocs from the community and sell them which is just wrong.
Had no idea that ideas owned your idea for 3 years I mean it makes sense but it seems unfair for rejected ideas. I guess they don’t want you using your Lego ideas approval as a mark of quality but it does seem a bit unfair to the creator who could make money by selling instructions.
@@xx1norm1xx It's not just 3 years. They hold the copyright for 3 years after your Idea has expired or been rejected, not from the day of submission. Had it been from the day of submission it would have made more sense as an Ideas submission can end up running for 2 years and 2 month. At first it runs for 60 days, if you get a 100 supporters it is extended by 12 months and after that you can get 2 more extensions of 6 months. Then it would go to expert review, so had it only been from date of submission had it been anything less than 3 years you might have been able to make a deal with someone else before they had finished their review. 3 years in addition to the rejection or expiration does seem like a lot though
It’s not fake Lego if Lego it’s self was a knockoff itself and the original “Lego” bricks are dead. I’ve had both bad and great experiences with not Lego. Mega started really bad but got better over time and is actually really good now. Cobi is really great and they do military stuff which Lego doesn’t, I got the Cobi Yamato and Tiger 131 recently and they’re great.
@@NewBrickerton Or people who are just not ok with others violating copyrights on principle. The sets are copyrighted and any production of them outside of LEGO's own is a violation of their copyright. You ARE right that the brick itself is no longer copyright protected, but that doesn't mean the sets aren't. The sets are unique designs that just as someone writing a new book about Hercules would own the copyrights to his/her book, while others would still be able to write their own story about Hercules. If these companies were doing original sets (and some are) they would hold the copyrights to those sets. So once the 3-year "lock" on the IDEAS sets has run out the designers would be able to enter a deal with another company than LEGO legally and have their sets produced. For the companies to do so without making a deal with the designer is a copyright violation as well.
Good on you for cancelling the review. I don't want to make an enemy of Lego, and, fwiw, I personally prefer to continue purchasing bricks and sets *exclusively* from Lego, but I also 100% sympathise with your argument and distinction between 'stealing' from mega-rich corporations, and effectively doing the same from private individuals, like Marcus, and IMHO it is a big and important distinction. As much as I love Lego, I won't shed too many tears over bootleg versions of official Lego sets, but if private individuals like Marcus are getting screwed over with respect to their designs, that absolutely sucks.
Your take is pretty much exactly what I agree with!! Also, it's totally valid to only buy Lego if that is what makes you enjoy the hobby. I want people to understand that when I am promoting alternatives
Keep in mind that LEGO often does not actually have copyright on building instructions. It's a legal grey area, but most courts around the world would follow the argument that assembly instructions of a product is not a protectable component of that product, since assembly is a fundamental part of the actual sale price. In other words, a company cannot reasonably charge for instructions if they are selling the kit as a complete entity. IKEA can't charge you for the instructions separately on how to assemble a kallax unit, since the instructions are a fundamental part of the full sticker price of the unit. A consumer can reasonably argue that what they purchased was a complete shelving unit, that is what IKEA markets the kit as being. That some assembly is required is irrelevant, a company cannot require that the consumer pays an additional cost for that assembly or the instructions to do so. What LEGO does have is a trademark on their instructions. Each instruction is a fundamental part of LEGO's brand, so directly reproducing it is not an infringement on LEGO's non-existent copyright on the instructions themselves, but an attack on the identity of LEGO as a company. This is why LEGO bricks have the LEGO logo. LEGO is not a brick-manufacturer, but a branding company for a vertically integrated brick manufacturing chain. The theft is not of the concept of LEGO bricks, not of their exact dimensions, not of individual instructions for individual sets, but of the brand of LEGO as exampled by specific products they produce. In this respect there's really nothing ethically wrong with buying bricks from a second manufacturer. You're right, it's good from a capitalist perspective to encourage competition.
The LEGO set however are copyrighted, so even if the manual isn't copyrighted the set itself is, and anyone marketing and selling copies of it is in violation of that copyright. Generally, China doesn't really care much about copyright though (at least not on non-Chinese products) which is why you won't see them doing much about stopping these sets from being produced (and it might even be hard for LEGO to have the sets copyrighted IN China)
I've enjoyed mega and cobi. I feel both of those brads have better longevity of bricks. Like my ucs slave one, the stormtrooper is both discolored and the torso is cracked. Nothing like lego quality...
white pieces will get discolored over time if they have too much exposure to the sun, if you keep it in the shade it shouldn't turn discolored, as for the cracked torso, the only time that happens to me is from ripping arms out of the socket, which you aren't supposed to do
I just watch this video exactly in the moment when Bricklink is starting crowdfunding for this model. So LEGO will deliver this set in November 2024 (up to 30.000 copies)!
I actually did try WeBricks (alternative legos) and I found that the building was all pretty similar but I found that the grip was quickly fading after one placement. I really do wish that Lego brick prices were better but I have found that the normal lego bricks are still best for me but using WeBricks did let me build a massive set that I probably wouldnt't be able to otherwise. In the future I'll probably have to find some happy middle ground.
I like that you only mentioned that these Chinese companies exploit their workers when you canceled your deal with one of them. Lego prices go up because that’s how inflation works. Lego plastic is more expensive because it’s higher quality and Lego pays its workers much better. Lego’s quality has gone down but even the print quality will almost always be better than Chinese plastic bricks. I also recognize that Lego ‘stole’ the idea of plastic bricks from KiddieCrafts but the idea of plastic bricks should not be a copyright and I think it is okay to make plastic bricks as a Chinese company. I also love stuff like brick warriors or custom minifigs that weren’t made by Lego from something like spider man. I got some and I like them but they definitely are lower quality than Lego. Broken or missing Lego can also be fixed. Lego sends plenty of spares just in case you lose the tiny ones and there was one time I had a bent door frame, but all I had to do was contact customer service and they shipped the same piece but not broken quickly and trusted me. You can’t get that kind of service from China.
Thanks for the comment! I may have only said it after I broke off the deal, but for the record I would say publicly that any corporation or business exploits their workers, that's how capitalism works. LEGO prices may be related to inflation, but inflation is not the only cause and if you look at the data you will see their price per piece has risen at a level higher than inflation can account for. I think anyone should be able to make brick-built products without copyright restriction, but this video was about a large corporation stealing from an individual designer which is about where I draw the line. Plenty of Chinese companies offer great customer service you just have to know where to look. It's a complicated conversation involving a lot of factors when you really get down to it but at the end of the day it's up to all of us to decide where to draw the line and this was mine! Thanks for all your thoughts and comments my friend!
Thanks for the in depth response. I personally draw the line at custom minifigs and bigfigs and try to the best I can only support companies that treat their workers at least somewhat well.
i love fake lego lego is just a name no more gobricks fake lego is just as good or better than lego gale lego is only criticized by lego freaks who are not realistic i hate lego
Great video. Great channel. You think much as I do about Lego, alternative bricks, and Chinese copies of old sets. I think probably more of this type of issue isn't stealing from Lego, but companies stealing MOC designs from Rebrickable. They pay the ~$10 for the design then produce the kit for sale. They either include or email instructions that are an exact copy of the MOC designer's instructions on Rebrickable. I had this happen recently (I bought a set), and they sent me a google drive link where the pdf instructions were identical to the MOC designer's, except they had removed the first page that said "Don't Steal This Design". I let the designer know and he basically sighed in resignation. Even if YOU pay the MOC designer for the plans when you buy the knock-off kit, we all know that most people do not.
I am glad to pay a higher price for the OG Lego products. The Brick Cross Train station is 4 x the cost than the idea steal one, but the quality will be perfect.
I already look forward to get my own original Set designet from Marcus, its a realy great design and i m sure i will love it. I m happy this set got finaly a 2. Chance by Briklink. I hope Marcus suggest this Airport Terminal too, i would love it if it wouöd get a Bricklink Set too :)
The 'Lego Only' crowd bore me. I grew up with Lego and loved the stuff. However, some of the clone bricks are great and certainly provide options for people who cannot afford the cost of genuine Lego. Additionally, I have no issue when the competitors create their own unique kits or make clones of retired Lego sets. Some
Excellent video! Just on the part where we could argue sometimes it's morally ritual to steal from massive corporations...what would be an example for this? Maybe a silly question but would be great to get your thoughts. Thanks for taking the time to make this insightful video :)
That part I am being tongue in cheek, but I am thinking of giant monopolistic corporations like Walmart or Amazon which stifle competition and kill mom and pop shops and underpay their workers. Or a company like Nestlé which uses child labor and extracts water from federal land for profit. No one will think twice if you sneak a pack of Nestlé waters out of the store on the bottom rack of your shopping cart 😉. (note: to be clear I am NOT advocating for theft in this case, just making a joke. But that is basically what i meant )
As a lawyer and Lego fan, I noticed your comment on fake retired sets (e.g., fake Cafe Corner), these products are illegal. While consumers ordering parts and copying Lego's design is legal (even with alternative brand bricks), the distribution of sets using Lego's design is illegal and infringes Lego's copyright which they own on every set they have designed, regardless if Lego is producing that set or not. Lego owns the copyright of every set they've designed for 120 years from the conception of the design. They also own copyright to the instructions, box design, set photos and print designs. As am a M&A lawyer and not a copyright lawyer I am unsure if you open yourself up to potential liability by promoting these illegal products. While reviewing alternate brands is fine I would probably avoid making content on brands that steal Lego's copyrights regardless of whether that set is retired or not.
I like the content and can see all points I love the ideas and the bricklink studio things etc I have seen couple of that designer models There was one I particular like A period style property, I will look thru and try find to see if it got made etc
Not really true. The only real argument you could make is that they may increase prices to compensate. What we should really ask is why are people stealing in the first place?
Brick Link may be owned by Lego but sets released by this site are not official sets. Gaining support for a Lego set on Ideas is daunting. Getting selected is nearly impossible. 1 percent is not enough compensation. I’d rather have my set made than get any compensation for it.
I hate the Chinese companies that just shamelessly steal people’s ideas… however, here in Korea, the Legos we get are from Chinese factories, which I can’t trust either.
Yea - everybody talks about the design theft from Lego group and often these individual designers get forgotten. I wouldn’t even consider ever receiving or buying the discontinued versions of sets (if you buy a third party copy of the cafe corner - you still don’t own the cafe corner). The moc builders don’t have the time limits of availability like Lego. I really appreciate you speaking on this. Even the legit companies like pantasy I’m leary of - but those to date I haven’t seen outright theft. Great job on highlighting this topic. Now if we can just get Lego not to put arbitrary limits on the amount of copies they’ll make available for sale
Great video very well made! Personally I only buy Lego brand. The only thing that I have a problem with other companies like lepin for example that make products similar to Lego ripping off sets and themes without having permission or licensing to do so.
MARCOS (mar-kose) not MARCUS (mar-cuss) Now that’s out of the way! It’s good to tell this story! I wish the hood designers out there would stop GIVING their designs away to LEGO… in 20 years how many have been made… less than 10!? The bricklink program (still LEGO) is a lot better for everybody! Designs stay true to their original plans, they get produced faster, no 3 year holding period on the design! But the good designers should just sell their designs! Let the builders figure out how to get the bricks!!! Between bricklink, brickowl, and all the 3rd party stores carrying bulk LEGO… people can get the bricks without them being boxed up and handed to them! These cooler more elaborate designs deserve a little work on the part of the builders! It’s hard to stop the thieves, but if we have a way to get the real instructions from the real creators then we can be part of the solution!
Thanks, when I re-watched the recording I figured it kinda sounded like I butchered his name. I know how to say Marcos so idk why I kept saying Markus over and over. 😂 Your solution of having the designers sell their instructions is the best idea I can think of too.
didn't the guy say "I don't want to be part of your video in any form", I know he's talking about the review video that NB cancelled, but now he's in the video anyway. lol also the guys submitted it to Ideas having agreed to the policy, it is basically no longer his. IDK, I just think the original designer is fine, nothing really got stolen here, and there are way bigger problems in the world.
Damn son this sucks. I just discovered Ali Express too. I love Bootlego products. Knockoff bricks have gotten much higher quality as Lego's has dipped.
I dont buy LEGO anymore, I dont want support that kind of behavior towards competitors and retailers. On top of that their quality - in color, material and sets - has gone off the deep end while their prices have skyrocketed. They even manage to totally butcher the ideas contributed to them - see 21344 Orient Express
Recommending people vote for his design is awesome. But I watched on July 1. This is just my thought and it means nothing but what about proceeds from this video going to Marcos? This also doesn’t solve his problem and I understand you are a creator and deserve pay for your content as well. This in my opinion qualifies as investigative journalism. And there is ethics involved in compensating sources. So I don’t know the answer.
I agree, this does not solve his problem. In my initial outreach to Marcos I offered to pay him a donation for his troubles but he didn't seem interested so I made this video instead. The other problem is that I only get about $2 for every 1k views. So it'd be about $7 so far which also doesn't solve his problem. I'll continue to help promote his builds when possible. And I would gladly make a larger donation to him if he decides he would accept it.
3:42 "Competition is always good in a market based capitalist economy..." No it's not "always good", there are many negative side effects of this need for competition. One of which you spend the rest of the video highlighting.
@NewBrickerton have I caused you any offence? I see that you've upvoted all the other positive comments here, but not mine. I'm not bothered about upvotes per se, but I'm curious as to why you upvoted other positive comments but apparently ignored mine. It implies I've caused you offence/that I'm not in your favour. Sorry if this seems 'needy' but I'm just curious. 🤷♂
No offense intended! I failed to see your comment for some reason, I'm sorry. I do my best to get to all comments if possible so I would've noticed it was unreplied to at some point, but I'm sorry in the short term to miss it!!
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Very happy for Designer, his project got selected for Bricklink Design Program Series 2!
I heard! He reached out to me to share the news. Congratulations to Marcos! I can't wait to get a copy of his set.
Here's an idea for Lego, Why not sell the instructions to these sets with links for users to buy the bricks required to complete them via their pick a brick site? Maybe sell the instructions for £20 but with a £15 pick a brick credit or something, The designer then gets some commission and Lego make money without the expense of producing a product for retail.
That's essentially what the Bricklink Moc Pop-Up store was. It was a limited time pilot last year where there were certain sets from BDP that were not finalists had their instructions offered for sale and Bricklink gave auto parts picking through Bricklink and/or pick a brick.
@@joshuakingma6126 What happened to it, and is there an alternative for something like it?
@@MoogleMog it was only available for a few months then ended, although it's possible it could return in the future. I believe you can see the models that were offered in you go to Bricklink -- programs -- previous programs -- Moc pop up store or something like that. Not really any alternatives right now other than Rebrickable or sites like that.
1 year later and his set became a reality and sold out in hours it was crazy congrats to him
most of the bricklink designer sets sell out really fast since they have limited run
@@Just_A_Rock__ ye but this one sold out in moments compared to the rest
@@Just_A_Rock__ i was too late lost my opportunity to get it
@@spectralbricks rip, a lot of those sets skyrocket after retirement
You would think companies like IdeaSteal could work out some kind of deal with designers like Marcus. Give them credit, give them some money, and I'm sure he wouldn't be asking for a lot. Because like you pointed out, most of Lego Ideas submissions are not accepted, and now the designer can't sell them. So maybe even if IdeaSteal wanted to pay Marcus, it would be a violation of the agreement he entered into with Lego. I think Lego should let the submissions revert back to the designers once the competition is over, and these 3rd party companies might be able to pay the designers something for them. Thanks for the informative video and I look forward to your reviews.
I totally agree with everything you said. Good solution!
After 3 years, all rights are reverted to the author if I understood correctly.
Lego's quality control has gone downhill in recent years. Certain colors tend to be more brittle than others, browns, pearlescent gold, dark red, some shades of gray. I have Lego pieces that are over 40 years old and regardless of color they are all quite durable, survivng drops off of tables, being stepped on, or even getting sucked up by a vacuum. I've had some pearlescent gold pieces break just from trying to connect two pieces together, and brown pieces snap in half while trying to remove one piece from another. As much as I'm a a brand loyalist, this slip in quality control and the hyper inflated prices driven up by all their licensing agreements, have me looking at other brands.
I restarted my collection last August and I have lost many cheese wedges. Plus a couple of pink one by ones. They split in half. I make ducks and have a pink castle with turrets that use cheese wedges. The ducks heads are cheese wedges.
I knew brown has had issues historically. Didn't know about the newer issues though. My hope is that increased pressure from quality LEGO competitors will force them to step their game up.
I have heard that cheese wedges are a brittle piece!
@@NewBrickerton I buy sets for the parts it's cheaper than pick a brick for me and I get sets with cheese wedges. I can't pick the colors though. I have alot of earth tones. I also get alot of earth tone jumper plates. I buy alot of clearance brickheadz.
Totally agree.
I've bought a few knockoffs of sets that were retired, kept the stickers and all the pieces with no studs and replaced what I could with actual Lego pieces. Now I have sets that are 90% Lego for a fraction of the price of the used market.
That's the way to do it!! Thank you for the comment!
Lego stole the entire idea of toy plastic bricks from the Kiddiecraft Company, so they are a knock-off and rip-off themselves. Before the bricks, Lego used to only make wooden toys. For these Lego Losers out there to say "fake Lego" is ridiculous because Lego is completely a stolen product in and of itself. The Chinese companies are cheaper and way more original, intricate,l and innovative for MOC builds, so it's ridiculous to say, "I would never buy 'fake Lego'!" Buy the so-called "knock-offs" to your heart's content because what the Lego Losers say is baloney!!!
@@NewBrickerton Lego stole their plastic toy bricks from the Kiddiecraft Company, so they are a knock-off and rip-off themselves. Before the bricks, Lego used to only make wooden toys. For these Lego Losers out there to say "fake Lego" is ridiculous because Lego is completely a stolen product in and of itself. The Chinese companies are cheaper and way more original, intricate, and innovative for MOC builds, so it's ridiculous to say, "I would never buy 'fake Lego'!" Buy the so-called "knock-offs" to your heart's content because what the Lego Losers say is baloney!!!
No need to type the same reply twice
@@rodneyboehner3007 True Lego was a copycat for about 3 decades stealing Kiddiecrafts ideas and models and infringing patents.going as far as company espionage. They only bought the rights in 1981
Great video. I too support alternative brick companies, but stolen designs from either Lego or worse, fan designers, is absolutely terrible.
This hurts more ethical alt brick companies like Cada that actually pay and credit MOC designers for their unique designs in their released sets.
Thanks for the really well made video highlighting this topic and issue.
Thank you very much! I totally agree.
Если лего ставит цену 200 долларов, а китайцы на абсолютную копию и по качеству в том числе 40 долларов, то я выберу копию)
@@danykwoodThe designs, instructions, etc are stolen from the LEGO company. When we buy those copied/stolen sets it helps the companies steal from LEGO. I guess a lot of people buy counterfeit products. 🤔
Lego to IdeaStealCo: “You are trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolen, and I think it quite ungentlemanly.”
(William Goldman, The Princess Bride)
Except LEGO haven't stolen anything. You agree to the terms when you submit an idea to LEGO Ideas. And you get the rights back after 3 years.
Great video and good on you for doing your research and making sure that the designer was aware rather than continuing with the review. I think it is great that you instead made sure to highlight the work of the designer because they obviously make some great designs!
Thank you so much. Yes, Marcos has the most amazing designs. The most talented LEGO designer I have interacted with by far.
Brickster is my absolute favourite Lego IDEAS submitter. Their Art Gallery is particularly outstanding. It's just a shame that Lego doesn't appear to have approved any of their submissions yet (possibly because they're mostly modular, and not based on any IPs). I wish there was some way of getting around this, so that we, the generaly public, could get our hands on some of their designs, but the only thing I can think of is that they submit them through the BrickLink Designer Program.
True! The only other option is that they submit the designs on Rebrickable, which would allow consumers to pay for the instructions but they would have to source the parts themselves to build it which isn't as accessible as selling the whole set.
@@NewBrickerton Your video is one of ignorance. Lego doesn't own the designs from fans, so to say it's copyrighted is false because Lego can't copyright other people's ideas, even if they give them 1% of the proceeds. They would have to buy them outright from fans and then copyright them (which they don't do), so Lego is basically stealing fans' ideas as well, so who cares if 3rd party companies do the same thing as Lego.
Also, Lego bricks in general are basically a rip-off of the Kiddiecraft bricks from long long ago, so the idea of "fake Legos" is laughable. Lego is actually "fake Kiddiecrafts". That's like saying all other motorcycles are "fake Harleys" when it was the Indian Motorcycle company that invented the motorcycle, or all other cars are "fake Fords" when it was Benz that invented the car.
@@rodneyboehner3007 My argument is that while LEGO Ideas may be exploitative, it is still an agreement by both parties, so even if LEGO Ideas is unfair, it's even more unfair to do so without asking. That's my distinction here. I'm fully onboard with everything else you said.
@@NewBrickerton Automatic agreements are not copyrightable. Unless Lego licenses off of an actual copyright from a creator, Lego is also stealing IP from creators. So the Chinese are doing nothing wrong. So you supposedly honor dishonorable agreements that aren't even contracts to begin with. Let's face it. The history of Lego is that they ripped off Kiddicraft by stealing and copying Kiddicraft's product of the modern plastic toy bricks. The Chinese companying doing it now and undercutting Lego is thus fair because the bricks aren't Lego's IP to begin with. Like I said, it's like saying other motorcycle companies are ripping off Harley-Davidson when Harley actually ripped off the motorcycle from Indian, the actual inventor of the motorcycle. Harley has no copyright to the invention they originally ripped off from someone less. There is no honor among thieves.
Thanks for telling us this story
Thanks for watching DZ!
Im really happy with how you solve this problem and Notice that you have a new aquarium modular in the background! Look really nice
Glad you noticed!! I'll be releasing a review of that set tomorrow. Thanks for watching!
It’s soooooooo expensive!! There needs to be some competition to bring Lego prices down. I started as an anti-fake lego, but in the prices Lego is charging, I don’t feel guilty any more.
I am so happy Marcus's set is actually in the series 2 lineup! I'm absolutely ordering one when pre-orders becomes available! Already have a calendar reminder so I don't miss out! It'll be a perfect addition to the modular section of my City!
This set is actually being made and being shipped next month as part of the Bricklink designer program.
This is a seriously mature conclusion and extremely satisfying despite not being concluded. I love it! Great job!
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Great video! And as someone who has kept a keen eye on Marcos' designs, via Lego IDEAS, for a long time, I really hope your subscribers here can join you and I in doing all we can to champion his designs/submissions whether it be via the standard Lego IDEAS program, or via he BrinkLink Designer one. Like I say, Marcos is my favourite fan/MOC designer.
He is incredible, I am blown away by the sheer quality and volume of his work. I'll be following him closely from here on out
You know aliexpress sells Lego idea sets that were rejected
I did not know that!
@@NewBrickerton they also do some bricklink sets too
It always gets me annoyed when people just say Lego is getting greedy with the price increases.
I work in plastic molding as a QA, molds are expensive, and with Lego having new unique pieces over and over again, molds for those, especially with Lego's high QA specs, can cost millions each just in material alone. And that's for each mold, even if they have to redo it for some change or make duplicates for different factories.
Back in the early 2000s, there weren't that many unique pieces, so they didn't need that many molds to make many sets.
But look at today's sets, especially with minifigures, we are getting new hair pieces, new leg pieces, new bikes, wheelchairs, arms, adding in hearing devices, prosthetics, and disabilities. All need new molds for each, and those molds are pricey.
Now look at printing. Each print, each color, needs what is known as a cliché, or a cavity in a metal plate for ink to pool for a pad to pick up and place on what you're printing on.
Each design, each color, each piece, needs its own cliché, and those are also pricey.
Compare precisely milling a metal plate to printing sticker sheets, it would take a LOT of sticker sheets to match a cliché plus QA for those parts, the ink being mixed properly, the pads, and the machine.
Add into that the cost of materials like the plastic itself has gone up due to the increase in oil prices. And that's just for the plastic alone, let alone the metal for the aforementioned molds.
And the cost of living has also gone up, so employees need to be paid more so they can still live the same way while prices everywhere are going up. That goes into the sales price as well.
And that's all before we get into just inflation itself. The value of the dollar has halved in just 30 years, a copy of Mario Kart 64 in the 1990s was $60, which is $124 today.
The price of everything is going up, it's not just Lego.
It just annoys me that people will just point to greed for everything without going into the details of the why.
Yeah, some companies are greedy and do raise prices for greed alone, but Lego doesn't seem to be doing that.
Sets have become more complicated with more detailed pieces and unique minifigures, and just more pieces in general.
Just pointing to two numbers at two very different times doesn't give you the why they are different, and the reason can be very complex, and people don't get that.
Yes, it's the thing to hate on big companies, but not all companies are the same.
Blanketly hating on everything that fits 1 category is how nothing gets better cause we only are looking towards something to hate while ignoring all the good.
We should be highlighting what Lego does better than other companies and push other companies to do better, but hating on them all for varying reasons while ignoring the good, is how no company learns how to do better since all they see is people hating with no reason.
Glad to see you talking about this, sorry about my dear friend Marcos. I was one of the first Lego Ideas designers who had a lot of LEGO Ideas projects stolen, when I say a lot I mean more than 6 projects in 2 years, logically I received nothing, no communication or the option to say yes or no . Marcos and I are not the only ones, there are more than 20 Lego ideas creators suffering from the same attack of intellectual property theft. Thank you very much for your video and greetings to my friend Marcos from here. :)
I love how the bus stop has 211b on it, which is the number on the tiny Lego London bus from couple years ago, and coincidently Sherlock Holmes' house address number
Thanks for posting this! I first learned of this design from this video. Then I followed its updates once I realized it was selected as one of the 5 final designs. This is an amazing design! Definitely the best MOC train station I’ve seen so far, and my second favorite LEGO train station (second only to the iconic yellow train station) from the official train lineup.
Congrats to the designer. I’ve just ordered two copies on BL. Can’t wait to get them!
Great video! I created a bricklink account and voted!
It’s a great build, shame it had to be stolen.
I appreciate it, thank you for helping me support Marcos!
Regarding some points in your first chapter: I and many others have observed Lego's quality control dipping, notably with their lack of brick color consistency within the same sets. Given that, plus Lego's ever-incresing prices, it would be doubly unfortunate for anyone who likes building with bricks to avoid all the legit non-Lego companies out there (as opposed to the pirate companies that steal Lego designs and resell them). I've built a ton of Cobi sets, for example, and have found their brick quality and consistency easily equals or surpasses Lego in every regard; plus, you get different subject matter and building techniques, thanks to unique elements you won't find in Lego. The close-minded fanatics are really missing out.
Totally agreed. Thanks for the comments!
I've never seen examples of different brick colors except for people who buy second hand bricks
The idea went live in the second wave of bricking and went sold out in less than a day
Honestly this set looks amazing. I can see taking the time to build it from the instructions myself. And I don't normally build sets.
Truly, Brickester designs builds at a such a high level of quality that I wish Lego would emulate!
@@NewBrickerton hopefully Lego will hire him. There have been some pretty good sets made recently but I continue to question some of Lego's design decisions.
I remember when I once joined a lego subreddit and got an immediate warning after I asked around about opinion of others on non-legos (its a taboo topic on r/lego subreddit)
Hi blackjack!! Yes, it's very taboo in some portions of the community. I'm fine with anyone who wants Lego only but don't know why people are so against others trying out other brands
Excellent video. Well researched, well thought out and produced as usual.
Thank you so much!
I've been slowly working on a MOC with the intentions to submit it to Lego Ideas, but this story definitely gives some pause.
Well done man, you took the high road. Voted for him, hope it helps a little with putting things right.
Thank you for the comment for helping me support Marcos!
Self justification of selfish behaviors will be the death or creativity. Thank you for sharing this particular story and trying to turn your experience into a positive for the creator.
Thank you very much!
Leaving aside the predatory conditions of Lego Ideas, what about when it is Lego itself that steal fan designs? For example, both the orchid and the succulent set from the botanical line were ideas that reached 10'000 subscribers, were discarded, and a couple of years later come out as "original" sets, of course without any recognition for the original author...
last I checked the creators got recognition
3:06 could you drop a link of the glowing train set please?
It's called the Steampunk Ore Train by Funwhole, you can find on Amazon or on their website.
www.funwhole.com/products/steampunk-ore-train
In reference to the first part about “fake” LEGO, more and more frequently I’ve had to take bricks from my own inventory to complete sets because LEGO’s quality control has taken a serious dip (likely because of arrogance, since they don’t have very many successful competitors). I mean, we’ve all complained about printing, but it’s getting to the point that bricks come in broken, missing, with a piece to a completely different set and theme, or even parts being placed in the wrong bags (not as big of an issue, but very confusing and frustrating when you have to question if you’ll need it later or you messed up on a step somewhere several pages back).
The way I go about it is the Godly or ethical way. If the building brick company produces any sets that LEGO currently does as well, for it is considered as theft and I don’t buy anything from that company as not to suppose thieves even if they also sell sets that LEGO has never produced. With LEGO ideas now, that’s an additional thing you have to keep an eye out for. I probably still wouldn’t bother with companies that operate in China, and even ones that don’t, the risk of getting low quality plastic that either doesn’t clutch, or you have to force together with the mighty of the Incredible Hulk, is too high. Not worth the headache.
you know customer service will ship you the missing pieces for no costs?
I've built like 20 knock off lego sets and around 300 official sets, and I've had way more missing/broken pieces in knock off sets than official sets. I think I've had like 3 sets that were missing 1 piece each and like 9 knock off sets missing a piece and having like 3 pieces in reallt bad condition
Oh wow I didn't even know about this. If it is the set I'm thinking off I was literally planning on buying that for my city!
The best compromise you haven't mentioned that you can do. Buy the instructions from the designer themselves and then order the bricks from any supplier be it Lego or an Alt brick company. Everyone wins.
Maybe in the future you could also do reviews of MOCs from independent designers not just from these companies?
I'd love to review independent MOCs. Actually, I have one in mind I should review soon.
Your solution about paying the designer for the instructions is spot on. In that case, they might as well list their instructions on Rebrickable for a fee and try to get something out of it.
@@NewBrickerton I'd love Marcos to put some of his designs on Rebrickable, but I suppose he has to wait for the 3 year copyright limit to elapse with Lego before he can do so...
That said, I'd much prefer some of his sets to be officially authorised, simply because in view of the immense size and complexity of a lot of his designs, I can see them being more expensive and time-consuming to make if one were to buy bricks in instalments, rather than as one purchase (although perhaps you might regard it as affordable if one were to go via a third party brick manufacturer).
I love how he's talking about how Lego is the OG and completely ignoring that Lego stole from Kiddicraft in the beginning
maybe Kiddicraft should have trademarked the design
@@Just_A_Rock__ spoken like a proper crook
@@joevictor53 I'm just coming at it from the legal prospective
I read the Lego IDEAS and wonder why anyone would give Lego their ideas giving up all rights to IT. Someone should never give up rights to their original work, hence as we all learned why. It can be stolen with no compensation for the owner. And only 1% of sakes.
I was a loyal AFOL. Not after I learned about this program, their Ambassador program sucks, and to top that off people do not realize ALL Legos are manufactured by machines. THEIR factories are AUTOMATED only a handful of workers work their. So it begs to question with hardly BP overhead WHY are Legos so expensive. Especially when it is most ALL AUTOMATION and other companies can charge a fraction for the same brick count. Lego has become a company of theives as far as I am concerned. It really broke my heart....
Lego's prices are hyper inflated mostly due to all the licensing agreements they have as well as just pure greed.
And the billion dollar investment in Vido that failed. LEGO here recently also invested another billion in Minecraft. Waiting to see how that plays out.
You are speaking my language my friend, thank you for your comment!
The biggest problem I have about buying and owning fake Lego is value. There is zero value for buying fake Lego after you build it.
Oh no! You know what that means, deathpenalty! *sharpens shotgun*
I don’t hate fake Lego personally I just don’t buy it because it’s resale value is essentially £0. If I buy a Lego set and I get bored of it or want to make space I can sell an official set super easily and a lot of the time for about as much as I paid for it. Not to mention that a lot of no name brands have terrible quality standards compared to official lego. I brought a display case for mini figures and it includes fake Lego plates but they are just awful, some studs are too big some are too small. So bad I placed a bricklink order to replace them with official Lego so my mini figures don’t break or fall over.
I don’t get the hate, like Lego isn’t paying me to talk down on their competitors so I just don’t care about them but I have seen people who violently dislike them. Obviously companies like mould king are bad because not only do they have the normal knock off problems but they steal Mocs from the community and sell them which is just wrong.
Had no idea that ideas owned your idea for 3 years I mean it makes sense but it seems unfair for rejected ideas. I guess they don’t want you using your Lego ideas approval as a mark of quality but it does seem a bit unfair to the creator who could make money by selling instructions.
A lot of valid thoughts and opinions! Thank you for your input :)
@@xx1norm1xx It's not just 3 years. They hold the copyright for 3 years after your Idea has expired or been rejected, not from the day of submission. Had it been from the day of submission it would have made more sense as an Ideas submission can end up running for 2 years and 2 month. At first it runs for 60 days, if you get a 100 supporters it is extended by 12 months and after that you can get 2 more extensions of 6 months. Then it would go to expert review, so had it only been from date of submission had it been anything less than 3 years you might have been able to make a deal with someone else before they had finished their review. 3 years in addition to the rejection or expiration does seem like a lot though
It’s not fake Lego if Lego it’s self was a knockoff itself and the original “Lego” bricks are dead. I’ve had both bad and great experiences with not Lego. Mega started really bad but got better over time and is actually really good now. Cobi is really great and they do military stuff which Lego doesn’t, I got the Cobi Yamato and Tiger 131 recently and they’re great.
Great video. I agree on the retired Lego AliExpress copies, I buy these too and don't have an issue with it.
I haven't yet tried them, but I definitely will! The only ones upset with that idea are probably anyone who invested in those sets
@@NewBrickerton Or people who are just not ok with others violating copyrights on principle. The sets are copyrighted and any production of them outside of LEGO's own is a violation of their copyright. You ARE right that the brick itself is no longer copyright protected, but that doesn't mean the sets aren't. The sets are unique designs that just as someone writing a new book about Hercules would own the copyrights to his/her book, while others would still be able to write their own story about Hercules.
If these companies were doing original sets (and some are) they would hold the copyrights to those sets. So once the 3-year "lock" on the IDEAS sets has run out the designers would be able to enter a deal with another company than LEGO legally and have their sets produced. For the companies to do so without making a deal with the designer is a copyright violation as well.
Good on you for cancelling the review. I don't want to make an enemy of Lego, and, fwiw, I personally prefer to continue purchasing bricks and sets *exclusively* from Lego, but I also 100% sympathise with your argument and distinction between 'stealing' from mega-rich corporations, and effectively doing the same from private individuals, like Marcus, and IMHO it is a big and important distinction. As much as I love Lego, I won't shed too many tears over bootleg versions of official Lego sets, but if private individuals like Marcus are getting screwed over with respect to their designs, that absolutely sucks.
Your take is pretty much exactly what I agree with!! Also, it's totally valid to only buy Lego if that is what makes you enjoy the hobby. I want people to understand that when I am promoting alternatives
Keep in mind that LEGO often does not actually have copyright on building instructions. It's a legal grey area, but most courts around the world would follow the argument that assembly instructions of a product is not a protectable component of that product, since assembly is a fundamental part of the actual sale price. In other words, a company cannot reasonably charge for instructions if they are selling the kit as a complete entity. IKEA can't charge you for the instructions separately on how to assemble a kallax unit, since the instructions are a fundamental part of the full sticker price of the unit. A consumer can reasonably argue that what they purchased was a complete shelving unit, that is what IKEA markets the kit as being. That some assembly is required is irrelevant, a company cannot require that the consumer pays an additional cost for that assembly or the instructions to do so.
What LEGO does have is a trademark on their instructions. Each instruction is a fundamental part of LEGO's brand, so directly reproducing it is not an infringement on LEGO's non-existent copyright on the instructions themselves, but an attack on the identity of LEGO as a company. This is why LEGO bricks have the LEGO logo. LEGO is not a brick-manufacturer, but a branding company for a vertically integrated brick manufacturing chain. The theft is not of the concept of LEGO bricks, not of their exact dimensions, not of individual instructions for individual sets, but of the brand of LEGO as exampled by specific products they produce.
In this respect there's really nothing ethically wrong with buying bricks from a second manufacturer. You're right, it's good from a capitalist perspective to encourage competition.
The LEGO set however are copyrighted, so even if the manual isn't copyrighted the set itself is, and anyone marketing and selling copies of it is in violation of that copyright. Generally, China doesn't really care much about copyright though (at least not on non-Chinese products) which is why you won't see them doing much about stopping these sets from being produced (and it might even be hard for LEGO to have the sets copyrighted IN China)
I've enjoyed mega and cobi. I feel both of those brads have better longevity of bricks. Like my ucs slave one, the stormtrooper is both discolored and the torso is cracked. Nothing like lego quality...
white pieces will get discolored over time if they have too much exposure to the sun, if you keep it in the shade it shouldn't turn discolored, as for the cracked torso, the only time that happens to me is from ripping arms out of the socket, which you aren't supposed to do
I just watch this video exactly in the moment when Bricklink is starting crowdfunding for this model. So LEGO will deliver this set in November 2024 (up to 30.000 copies)!
I actually did try WeBricks (alternative legos) and I found that the building was all pretty similar but I found that the grip was quickly fading after one placement. I really do wish that Lego brick prices were better but I have found that the normal lego bricks are still best for me but using WeBricks did let me build a massive set that I probably wouldnt't be able to otherwise. In the future I'll probably have to find some happy middle ground.
I've used WeBrick before, but haven't really taken anything I've made with them apart yet. I'll have to try and see if I have the same issue.
Another great vid, it's 1st July for me so can't vote but subscribed to his channel. I think his new version is even better than the first 🙂
Thanks Jace! Yeah, unfortunately there wasn't much time to vote after I posted this. Thanks for helping me support Marcos!
Let's go Marcos!! I hope we can get that design from Bricklink 🤩👏🏻👏🏻
Also, great video. The quality of storytelling is amazing 😉👍🏻
I hope so too. Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!!
I like that you only mentioned that these Chinese companies exploit their workers when you canceled your deal with one of them. Lego prices go up because that’s how inflation works. Lego plastic is more expensive because it’s higher quality and Lego pays its workers much better. Lego’s quality has gone down but even the print quality will almost always be better than Chinese plastic bricks. I also recognize that Lego ‘stole’ the idea of plastic bricks from KiddieCrafts but the idea of plastic bricks should not be a copyright and I think it is okay to make plastic bricks as a Chinese company. I also love stuff like brick warriors or custom minifigs that weren’t made by Lego from something like spider man. I got some and I like them but they definitely are lower quality than Lego. Broken or missing Lego can also be fixed. Lego sends plenty of spares just in case you lose the tiny ones and there was one time I had a bent door frame, but all I had to do was contact customer service and they shipped the same piece but not broken quickly and trusted me. You can’t get that kind of service from China.
Thanks for the comment!
I may have only said it after I broke off the deal, but for the record I would say publicly that any corporation or business exploits their workers, that's how capitalism works. LEGO prices may be related to inflation, but inflation is not the only cause and if you look at the data you will see their price per piece has risen at a level higher than inflation can account for. I think anyone should be able to make brick-built products without copyright restriction, but this video was about a large corporation stealing from an individual designer which is about where I draw the line. Plenty of Chinese companies offer great customer service you just have to know where to look. It's a complicated conversation involving a lot of factors when you really get down to it but at the end of the day it's up to all of us to decide where to draw the line and this was mine!
Thanks for all your thoughts and comments my friend!
Thanks for the in depth response. I personally draw the line at custom minifigs and bigfigs and try to the best I can only support companies that treat their workers at least somewhat well.
I love all your videos, tips and tricks with Lego. Thank you so much for all your help!
Thank you for the support and such a kind comment!
i love fake lego lego is just a name no more gobricks fake lego is just as good or better than lego gale lego is only criticized by lego freaks who are not realistic i hate lego
Yep I agree with your points about retired modulars and have bought some cloned retired sets that way.
It's definitely the cost effective way at least. Thanks for the comment!
Great video. Great channel. You think much as I do about Lego, alternative bricks, and Chinese copies of old sets.
I think probably more of this type of issue isn't stealing from Lego, but companies stealing MOC designs from Rebrickable. They pay the ~$10 for the design then produce the kit for sale. They either include or email instructions that are an exact copy of the MOC designer's instructions on Rebrickable. I had this happen recently (I bought a set), and they sent me a google drive link where the pdf instructions were identical to the MOC designer's, except they had removed the first page that said "Don't Steal This Design". I let the designer know and he basically sighed in resignation.
Even if YOU pay the MOC designer for the plans when you buy the knock-off kit, we all know that most people do not.
Way to do the right thing, not many people have morals like that anymore.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video. I have a video that I made it was a VS video and had a few comments about this. This really helps.
I am glad to pay a higher price for the OG Lego products. The Brick Cross Train station is 4 x the cost than the idea steal one, but the quality will be perfect.
I'll 99% stay with Lego, but ya know what, I can respect the competition.
I already look forward to get my own original Set designet from Marcus, its a realy great design and i m sure i will love it. I m happy this set got finaly a 2. Chance by Briklink.
I hope Marcus suggest this Airport Terminal too, i would love it if it wouöd get a Bricklink Set too :)
I voted for this set last week!
Awesome!! Thanks for supporting Marcos!
Anyone have the link?
Thanks for the excellent video. I’m just wondering how “Ideasteal” managed to get their hands on the plans from Lego.
I can only guess that they painstakingly recreated it from the photos. Thanks for watching!
@@NewBrickerton That was my assumption too. I mean, kudos to them, because that takes skill, but not kudos for stealing someone's design.
The 'Lego Only' crowd bore me.
I grew up with Lego and loved the stuff. However, some of the clone bricks are great and certainly provide options for people who cannot afford the cost of genuine Lego. Additionally, I have no issue when the competitors create their own unique kits or make clones of retired Lego sets.
Some
Excellent video! Just on the part where we could argue sometimes it's morally ritual to steal from massive corporations...what would be an example for this? Maybe a silly question but would be great to get your thoughts. Thanks for taking the time to make this insightful video :)
That part I am being tongue in cheek, but I am thinking of giant monopolistic corporations like Walmart or Amazon which stifle competition and kill mom and pop shops and underpay their workers. Or a company like Nestlé which uses child labor and extracts water from federal land for profit. No one will think twice if you sneak a pack of Nestlé waters out of the store on the bottom rack of your shopping cart 😉. (note: to be clear I am NOT advocating for theft in this case, just making a joke. But that is basically what i meant )
As a lawyer and Lego fan, I noticed your comment on fake retired sets (e.g., fake Cafe Corner), these products are illegal. While consumers ordering parts and copying Lego's design is legal (even with alternative brand bricks), the distribution of sets using Lego's design is illegal and infringes Lego's copyright which they own on every set they have designed, regardless if Lego is producing that set or not. Lego owns the copyright of every set they've designed for 120 years from the conception of the design. They also own copyright to the instructions, box design, set photos and print designs.
As am a M&A lawyer and not a copyright lawyer I am unsure if you open yourself up to potential liability by promoting these illegal products. While reviewing alternate brands is fine I would probably avoid making content on brands that steal Lego's copyrights regardless of whether that set is retired or not.
Just saw this video!!! I purchased mine recently, and this video just made me feel better about this decission.
I like the content and can see all points
I love the ideas and the bricklink studio things etc
I have seen couple of that designer models
There was one I particular like
A period style property, I will look thru and try find to see if it got made etc
Just remember. When you steal from a big box store, it affects the individual store and its employees well before it affects the overall Corporation
Not really true. The only real argument you could make is that they may increase prices to compensate. What we should really ask is why are people stealing in the first place?
Great video. ❤ Btw will you stream on the weekend ?!
Thanks naveed!! I'm not sure about this weekend, but more streams will be coming!
Brick Link may be owned by Lego but sets released by this site are not official sets. Gaining support for a Lego set on Ideas is daunting. Getting selected is nearly impossible. 1 percent is not enough compensation. I’d rather have my set made than get any compensation for it.
how can someone steal a lego idea, geee
mega construx castle greyskull amazing set amazing minifigures no sticker at all all around amazing set , i will buy snake mountain next
I hate the Chinese companies that just shamelessly steal people’s ideas… however, here in Korea, the Legos we get are from Chinese factories, which I can’t trust either.
I have multiple 3rd party products, depending on the brand there are great ones out there
LEGO® did approve the design. It is a Brick link product. I just bought it from LEGO®.
Yea - everybody talks about the design theft from Lego group and often these individual designers get forgotten. I wouldn’t even consider ever receiving or buying the discontinued versions of sets (if you buy a third party copy of the cafe corner - you still don’t own the cafe corner). The moc builders don’t have the time limits of availability like Lego. I really appreciate you speaking on this. Even the legit companies like pantasy I’m leary of - but those to date I haven’t seen outright theft.
Great job on highlighting this topic. Now if we can just get Lego not to put arbitrary limits on the amount of copies they’ll make available for sale
It’s a shame but lego ideas is for new ideas so they didn’t want any modular buildings because they already have a series.
The website is hero toys but they no ponder sell the product 😂
freaking hilarious that anyone would care if you used "fake" LEGOs. I'm actually hoping you're joking.
I wish hahaha those are real comments on videos of mine 😂
I'm glasld his set sold out after what happened to him
Great video very well made! Personally I only buy Lego brand. The only thing that I have a problem with other companies like lepin for example that make products similar to Lego ripping off sets and themes without having permission or licensing to do so.
MARCOS (mar-kose) not MARCUS (mar-cuss)
Now that’s out of the way!
It’s good to tell this story! I wish the hood designers out there would stop GIVING their designs away to LEGO… in 20 years how many have been made… less than 10!?
The bricklink program (still LEGO) is a lot better for everybody! Designs stay true to their original plans, they get produced faster, no 3 year holding period on the design!
But the good designers should just sell their designs! Let the builders figure out how to get the bricks!!! Between bricklink, brickowl, and all the 3rd party stores carrying bulk LEGO… people can get the bricks without them being boxed up and handed to them!
These cooler more elaborate designs deserve a little work on the part of the builders!
It’s hard to stop the thieves, but if we have a way to get the real instructions from the real creators then we can be part of the solution!
Thanks, when I re-watched the recording I figured it kinda sounded like I butchered his name. I know how to say Marcos so idk why I kept saying Markus over and over. 😂
Your solution of having the designers sell their instructions is the best idea I can think of too.
Great video. You're a good dude. 😊
didn't the guy say "I don't want to be part of your video in any form", I know he's talking about the review video that NB cancelled, but now he's in the video anyway. lol
also the guys submitted it to Ideas having agreed to the policy, it is basically no longer his. IDK, I just think the original designer is fine, nothing really got stolen here, and there are way bigger problems in the world.
Damn son this sucks. I just discovered Ali Express too. I love Bootlego products. Knockoff bricks have gotten much higher quality as Lego's has dipped.
I dont buy LEGO anymore, I dont want support that kind of behavior towards competitors and retailers. On top of that their quality - in color, material and sets - has gone off the deep end while their prices have skyrocketed. They even manage to totally butcher the ideas contributed to them - see 21344 Orient Express
oh I just know the story of this amazing, I just ordered days ago , how lucky me
I feel bad for Marcos
I love your channel and now even more! This video proves how do you care about being legit also with 3rd parties. Like!
Thank you so much! I'm doing my best, I don't wanna harm anyone if possible and hope to be a role model for others. Appreciate you
This was a juicy one
You sir, are a brave man
Thank you! In my opinion it was not bravery, just the right thing to do in my eyes. Regardless, I appreciate it!
lol nice vid also whats that mic?
Recommending people vote for his design is awesome. But I watched on July 1. This is just my thought and it means nothing but what about proceeds from this video going to Marcos? This also doesn’t solve his problem and I understand you are a creator and deserve pay for your content as well. This in my opinion qualifies as investigative journalism. And there is ethics involved in compensating sources. So I don’t know the answer.
I agree, this does not solve his problem. In my initial outreach to Marcos I offered to pay him a donation for his troubles but he didn't seem interested so I made this video instead. The other problem is that I only get about $2 for every 1k views. So it'd be about $7 so far which also doesn't solve his problem. I'll continue to help promote his builds when possible. And I would gladly make a larger donation to him if he decides he would accept it.
Most of these company steel all there designs and afols can't do anything about it.
3:42 "Competition is always good in a market based capitalist economy..."
No it's not "always good", there are many negative side effects of this need for competition. One of which you spend the rest of the video highlighting.
“Morally righteous to steal” .. I’m not sure how anyone can discuss/argue about this, stealing is stealing. 🤔
Food for you is banned and stealing is stealing. How’s your morals now
@@eternalemperorvalkorion750 give me a real possible scenario 😁. I would grow my own or gather it from nature. 😁
I did not just subscribe because of that "steal from corporations"
@NewBrickerton have I caused you any offence? I see that you've upvoted all the other positive comments here, but not mine. I'm not bothered about upvotes per se, but I'm curious as to why you upvoted other positive comments but apparently ignored mine. It implies I've caused you offence/that I'm not in your favour. Sorry if this seems 'needy' but I'm just curious. 🤷♂
No offense intended! I failed to see your comment for some reason, I'm sorry. I do my best to get to all comments if possible so I would've noticed it was unreplied to at some point, but I'm sorry in the short term to miss it!!
Thanks for your thoughts and for your comments!
Wow
VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!