13 replies to this topic

[Z-man12]

I finally picked up one of these things the other day at dollar general.



Its basically a crappy knock off version of the Double Shot. It doesn't even shoot half the distance of the real buzz bee one. So I just thought I would warn people who were going to buy one. I have also opened it up, and it is basically the same gun with weaker springs and weaker plastics. The only real difference between the two guns is the crosshatching on the stock and the more rounded front stock/grip section.

[bobafan]

If it is $1 just get them for the shells.

[sn1per]

If it is $1 just get them for the shells.

Dollar genaral has stuff that's over 1 dollar...

[bobafan]

If it is $1 just get them for the shells.

Dollar genaral has stuff that's over 1 dollar...

That's why I said if.

[NerfGnome]

Wouldn't that be copyright infringement? Considering that guns design is virtually identical to the double shot?

[bobafan]

There are ripoffs of many nerf guns and off brand guns. People in china or wherever the toys are made don't really care that it is copyrighted, they just want their cut of the business.

[Z-man12]

No it was 8 dollars. The shells are almost the same, and they are interchangeable. Oh and the color scheme on mine is even the same as the buzz-bee.

[M30]

A similar conversation has recently occurred elsewhere...

It was about the Six Tek.
I suspect this might be one of those "private label" affairs referred to in that thread.

And bobafan:
You're being a little too skeptical, I think. For one, when you say "people in china", don't delude yourself that this is some foreign company ignorant of American copyright law; the vast majority of the cases you're referring to are American-based companies manufacturing lookalikes which just happen to ship from China, where labor is cheaper (all the brand name stuff comes from there too, so Hasbro is no exception).

Also, I think you could be damn sure that if Nerf or BuzzBee was imitated in a fashion such as this, where the toy is virtually identical, down to the mold, there would be lawsuits. Can you imagine the fallout if there was suddenly some no-name-brand FOAM SHOOTER "Over Three Feet Long!" that took its munitions from a clip and had a really crap-tacular Front Gun that detached?

Somehow, I don't think that would just fly.
Imitation to an extent such as this seldom goes unprosecuted... because like you said, everyone just wants their cut of the business.

[bobafan]

TTG knockoff 2/3 down page
Something
No pics.
People don't like taking pictures.

It isn't uncommon to have toy molds sold where the toys are produced and seperate companies make the same toy for cheaper. It isn't that they don't know it is copyright infringement, it is one of two things. One, they don't give a damn, Two, who is going to make them give the real owner money for breaking american copyrights?

http://www.nerfhq.co...hp?topic=5443.0


I found that on accident.

Edited by bobafan, 06 January 2008 - 05:11 AM.

[sn1per]

WHO THE HELL WOULD MAKE A BUZZ BEE KNOCKOFF???

[Tofu]

Yeah, I feel you. I got one of those. It sucked so bad we took the internals out of it and painted it. Oh and it was such a piece of crap that the trigger broke when I tried to fire it.

[Z-man12]

Yeah, I feel you. I got one of those. It sucked so bad we took the internals out of it and painted it.

Thats what I plan on doing to it, along with some body work.

[Blasphemy]

WHO THE HELL WOULD MAKE A BUZZ BEE KNOCKOFF???

Dude, calm down. When companies make knock-offs of each other's products, especially in this type of market, they're not think about its potential to US. You guys have to remember we are a very small part of their market, little kids ages 6-10 is the largest part of their market, if Buzz Bee guns are appealing to them, which they very well can be due to the fact that you don't see 6-10 year olds who care about the modification potential of a toy nerf gun, then why not make a knock-off of a Buzz Bee gun.

[CaptainSlug]

Something to remember is that these are high volume low cost items. Such things if infringed are not worth spending exorbitant amounts of money to launch a lawsuit over.
The knock-off isn't going to sell in anywhere near the volume of the original product and is not likely to effect domestic sales of the original in its core market (the United States). Nerf guns (or any kind of foam shooting guns) are not prevalent in China outside of Hong Kong. In fact most of China really doesn't spend very much on toys.

And culturally copyrights are not something adhered to or respected in China or its neighbors. Even the concept of a copyright is a very western thing.

Edited by CaptainSlug, 08 January 2008 - 11:57 AM.