GW Shuts Down 168 Chinese Recaster Accounts

168 Chinese recaster sites and accounts are closing up shop after being contacted by Games Workshop. Check out the latest from the war on recasts.

According to a notice posted on seized recaster websites, and marketplaces, Games Workshop has initiated legal action against them:

The full list of sites and marketplace accounts that were affected are listed in Schedule A of the legal filings. Game Workshop alleged in their complaint that these sellers were defrauding consumers:

Defendants facilitate sales by designing the Defendant Internet Stores so that they appear to unknowing consumers to be authorized online retailers, outlet stores, or wholesalers.

Furthermore, GW alleges:

Even though Defendants operate under multiple fictitious names, there are numerous similarities among the Defendant Internet Stores. For example, Unauthorized Games Workshop Products for sale in the Defendant Internet Stores bear similar irregularities and indicia of being unauthorized, suggesting that the Unauthorized Games Workshop Products were manufactured by and come from a common source and that Defendants are interrelated.

With names like Money Tree, Lovely Gadgets, DIY Case Store, it’s easy to see how some of these sellers operated “below the radar” .

Defendants have sold, offered to sell, marketed, distributed, and advertised, and are still selling, offering to sell, marketing, distributing, and advertising products using counterfeit reproductions of the Games Workshop Trademarks without Games Workshop’s permission.

So it appears after raising their prices twice on Forge World in the past year, and on over 200 of their core items GW has started going after recasters more aggressively.

Recast piracy is on the rise across the hobby as a whole since last years “surprise” price increases, and other manufacturers and independent artists are starting to take a hit as well.

A movement has started to help raise awareness about the loss of income these folks have started to experience recently.

New Privacy awareness image 

Lately all brands have seen how our creations are being reproduced illegally and without any scruples in a massive way.

There are many families, people and brands that struggle hard every day to bring you new and spectacular figures and products.

OUR EXISTENCE IS IN DANGER! It is not a matter of victimization or educating anyone, but it is about making all our followers understand that the illicit practices of the recasters are causing us to be little by little in danger of extinction if we continue to feed them.

Don’t get confused. We aren’t saying you shouldn’t buy alternate versions of models that you can use in your tabletop games. We are saying to watch out for recasts of other artist’s personal work!

Artists aren’t Making Enough to Survive

From Artist Raul Latorre:

 Yes, this is a business for me, my only job since 25 years, the way I have to pay my bills and keep doing what I love…

Let explain with the simple aim of making you understand it the true depth of your act. The figure in the picture (Nash) Sold 32 uni. during the month, more than 5 times the quantity that me (the creator, designer and fighter) sold the same month.

These artists may not be local, but they are the ones putting all of their time and effort into bringing you these wonderful creations only to be outdone by a random recaster.

What do you think of recasts, 3D printing, and protecting artist’s and studio’s original works?

Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and sign up to get your free hobby updates newsletter each morning as well!

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About the Author: Rob Baer

Virginia Restless, Miniature Painter & Cat Dad. I blame LEGOs. There was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all... Twitter @catdaddymbg