WTF is going on with these translites ?

[Caveoftreasures]

A seller on ebay who sells replacements of reproduced bally/williams translites with the "new technology" has added this line to his Addams Family ebay translite listings.

Conditions: you must ship and surrender your original Translite to us before shipping your Restored Replacement.

(keep names off the post so we dont upset anyone) BUT is this for real or what. Is someone taking the piss or what. ?

Has anyone surrended their translite. ? What happens if you buy a pinball machine without a translite ?

IT JUST GETS WEIRDER AND WEIRDER BY THE MONTH DOWN THERE ! WTF ? 

[Ballywannabe]

I am not sure, but I think this relates to copyright issues.  You are allowed to replace the item on your machine, but not buy one straight out (3rd party licensing).  John Greatwitch has experienced this issue so he might elaborate (even though he is not best mates with the person in question).

cheers
Ian

[Caveoftreasures]

Ahhhh Haaaaaa. I see.

So i will send in a piece of plastic the size of a postage stamp and tell him the friggin mice ate my last translite when the pin was in storage.

It might work.   

[shansta]

Pretty much Brett.

As long as he can prove that the original is destroyed - his arse is clear I think?

[Retropin]

Its all to do with the "right to restore".

I reckon this is on shakey ground though.. but ya never know - seller may well know something i dont.

You are allowed to restore your machine and make whatever you want for it.
Seller can sell you a translite under your right to restore so long as it can be proved that it was used for the purpose intended.. ie installed to correct machine.
Seller cannot produce for market profit and so cannot hold stock.. he can however make 1 for 1 as it now becomes an "after market" restoration.
hence sending your one in.

I was told though that the advertising of anything like this had to be worded VERY carefully.. from memory words like "reproduction"are not allowed.. "restoration" is the key

[Strangeways]

Its all to do with the "right to restore".

I reckon this is on shakey ground though.. but ya never know - seller may well know something i dont.

You are allowed to restore your machine and make whatever you want for it.
Seller can sell you a translite under your right to restore so long as it can be proved that it was used for the purpose intended.. ie installed to correct machine.
Seller cannot produce for market profit and so cannot hold stock.. he can however make 1 for 1 as it now becomes an "after market" restoration.
hence sending your one in.

I was told though that the advertising of anything like this had to be worded VERY carefully.. from memory words like "reproduction"are not allowed.. "restoration" is the key

I think you are right Gavin.

I've worked on a few Addams' machines and NEVER seen a translite that needed replacement. 

[Creech]

Its all to do with the "right to restore".

I reckon this is on shakey ground though.. but ya never know - seller may well know something i dont.

You are allowed to restore your machine and make whatever you want for it.
Seller can sell you a translite under your right to restore so long as it can be proved that it was used for the purpose intended.. ie installed to correct machine.
Seller cannot produce for market profit and so cannot hold stock.. he can however make 1 for 1 as it now becomes an "after market" restoration.
hence sending your one in.

I was told though that the advertising of anything like this had to be worded VERY carefully.. from memory words like "reproduction"are not allowed.. "restoration" is the key

That's where it becomes very shakey...

You see, as soon as you put a new part in a machine, it's not a restoration, it's a new part. Restoration would involve fixing the original translite, not throwing it away and putting in a new one. Also, the translite is being reproduced for market profit as I doubt it is being done for free. It will be interesting to know what happens to the old translites as well. Are they being thrown out which I assume is the right thing to do. Otherwise, if sold off to someone who is after a less than perfect translite, further profit making is brought into the equation.

This is all my opinion only. I could be way off the mark and I'm definitely no expert in legal matters so take this with a grain of salt please.

[Pop Bumper Pete]

. It will be interesting to know what happens to the old translites as well. Are they being thrown out which I assume is the right thing to do. Otherwise, if sold off to someone who is after a less than perfect translite, further profit making is brought into the equation.

I am sure that he would do the right thing and destroy them, the same way that he destroyed 'Scared Stiff' cabinet art he mistakenly made a few years ago

[Strangeways]

. It will be interesting to know what happens to the old translites as well. Are they being thrown out which I assume is the right thing to do. Otherwise, if sold off to someone who is after a less than perfect translite, further profit making is brought into the equation.

I am sure that he would do the right thing and destroy them, the same way that he destroyed 'Scared Stiff' cabinet art he mistakenly made a few years ago

I think they are sent to the Addams Family Trust - or made available to them. That's what I heard a while ago. Addams Family trust are VERY protective of their name/brand.

[johnwartjr]

I've worked on a few Addams' machines and NEVER seen a translite that needed replacement. 

Mine did..



I ended up getting a very nice used one from a friend who stuck a NOS one in his game. Was not easy to find!

[Retropin]

Im not sure who the seller is here.. but i have a good idea.

Quote says "restored reproduction"- it cant be both.. it is either restored - hence sending old one in.. or it is a reproduction.

either way... this seller does not have permission to sell or manufacture these or it would not have all the smoke and mirrors attached...

Now say this person had some rights to something..... it would be quite possible to emulate this advertising babble and sell anything that they had rights to..... interesting!

[beaky]

there is some crap now a days in the pinball industry.
it is becoming harder and harder to buy reproduction or restored parts for a pinball machine.
When Williams closed their doors they didnt sell the rights to manufacture pinball machines (as per the film called TILT).
And if you need a translite or some other kind of art work to get your pin up to scratch if its not being made by a LICENCED bally holder then its illegal for some one to make it and sell it?
In the automotive industry once a car is 10 years old anyone can make an aftermarket part and sell it without someone taking legal action.
also anyone can  download a pinball eprom which has video dmd images and sound files from Williams or bally (which is under licence from paramount or some other fillm studio) and program them into an Eprom and sell it as long as they only charge for the labour and the eprom and not the data contained on that eprom.

it is a joke when you own the pin but you can't buy replacement artwork for it because no one with a licence is making it, yet in australia if you buy a dvd, game or a cd you are allowed to copy it or pay to get it copied (backed up) as long as you own an original.

I am not condoning the pirate industry but if you have paid for an original then it is mad that you are not allowed to pay some one for their labour and stock to get your original looking 100%.
Yet it is legal to copy the decals, playfield art or backglass on a pin you own and then sell the whole pin to make a profit or keep the pin (if this is not the case then a lot of people on this site are engaged in illegal activities)

how many of us have repaired a playfield cabinet or backglass by scanning the damaged area and then printing it on a sticker and sticking it back on to the playfield, or airbrushed the damaged area?  we are still copying the original copyrighted material.
if you take into account the copyright issuses then it doesn't matter whether it is part of the playfield, back glass or cabinet or the whole thing it is still in breach of the so called copyright.
if it wasn't then any joe blow could scan the art work on any pin break it up into 1000 pieces and sell it piece by piece.

so what is the difference between scanning part of a playfield and getting printed on a sticker or scanning the whole playfield, a back glass or translite and getting it printed? 


the saga continues, or does it?

[beaky]

A seller on ebay who sells replacements of reproduced bally/williams translites with the "new technology" has added this line to his Addams Family ebay translite listings.

Conditions: you must ship and surrender your original Translite to us before shipping your Restored Replacement.

(keep names off the post so we dont upset anyone) BUT is this for real or what. Is someone taking the piss or what. ?

Has anyone surrended their translite. ? What happens if you buy a pinball machine without a translite ?

IT JUST GETS WEIRDER AND WEIRDER BY THE MONTH DOWN THERE ! WTF ? 

so when you surrender your original they clean every thing off it and print a new one on the original blank translite which they do at a later date and send you one they recieved from some one else last month.

[Creech]

The problem is, nobody has tested this in court so everyone just takes what the license holders say as gospel. Are you prepared to fork out thousands of $$$ to test it?

[Strangeways]

The problem is, nobody has tested this in court so everyone just takes what the license holders say as gospel. Are you prepared to fork out thousands of $$$ to test it?

It only takes one person to challenge the alleged "rights" over the parts and the floodgates will open. Most won't bother as there is a black market in the USA for some parts - especially art. If the rights holders were easy to work with and offered incentive, then everyone would benefit.

If you own a game, you can reproduce whatever you like - for you game - under the same rule "right to restore".