Quote:
Originally Posted by 2747andy
Alan,
is that a type O and Bi-metal should be Wm? The Gaunt B'Ham F&FSH was reproduced from a different die to the genuine item and I suspect a die created for that purpose i.e. the collectors market. The original die(s) would have been MOD property so to use them to create "Fakes" would have been a dodgy enterprise to say the least (?) even one in financial difficulty!
Andy
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It is not true to say that badge dies belong to the purchasing organisation. Having been responsible in the past for placing orders for insignia with various manufacturers, including Gaunt, Dowler, Firmin and London Badge, I can tell you that most badge manufacturers require the purchasing organisation to pay 49% of the die cost. The remaining 51% is met by the manufacturer. They do this to ensure that the die remains with them and thus ensures that repeat orders are placed with their company and not a competitor.
However, there are exceptions. Having spoken to manufacturers in the past they tell me that where an organisation places a very large order e.g. the MoD or say the Metropolitan Police, the manufacturer will often not charge for the sinking of a die but will simply charge for each badge. The cost of the die being absorbed.
In the first case, if the manufacturer uses the die to produce further examples of the badge without consent, the part owner of the die can seek legal redress. In the second case although the die belongs to the manufacturer, he takes a risk if he produces additional badges from it. Most badges consist of a design associated with a particular regiment etc. I would suggest that the designs (even of defunct regiments) are the intellectual property of the MoD (or whoever) and as such they could (if they were minded) seek to take proceedings against any person selling items bearing that design. Its rather like making and selling a trademarked sweatshirt without permission of the trademark holder. In addition, if the item bears a "Royal" emblem then there is additional legislation touching upon such use without permission.
So, those commercially minded individuals who re-produce badges (of any type) without consent of the intellectual property owner take a bit of a risk (however slight) of someone taking them to task for doing so.
Dave.