Question about Ebay Knight Rider VHS auctions

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shawn757
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Question about Ebay Knight Rider VHS auctions

Post by shawn757 » Wed Sep 10, 2003 12:35 am

I just saw an ebay ID named " maximillion75" sell knight rider boxsets in NTSC format.
Knight rider action men boxset
Knight rider classic collection vol.1,2,3 boxsets

I thought these were only available in the UK by Playback. Is this legal?
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Post by neps » Wed Sep 10, 2003 12:37 am

Well it would be legal for him to sell the original copies, but if they are dupes then no. The tapes originally came in PAL if its from the UK, so either he's lying about them being in NTSC, or they've been converted, and are dupes.

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Post by shawn757 » Wed Sep 10, 2003 1:18 am

I just checked again and he states that he got them from non sports convention what ever that is. And it's in NTSC format. So it is not legal right?

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Post by Michael Pajaro » Wed Sep 10, 2003 1:57 am

Walking the dangerous line here...

Just because it MAY be illegal for someone to sell something on eBay (and we shouldn't jump to conclusions that it is) doesn't necessarily mean it is illegal for someone to buy it. (nor should you assume that it's safe, either.)

In this specific case, I wouldn't bid on the item because something smells fishy: as Neil said, the original Action Man box set is PAL, not NTSC.

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Post by shawn757 » Wed Sep 10, 2003 1:57 pm


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Post by Michael Pajaro » Wed Sep 10, 2003 2:53 pm

The seller isn't exactly the brightest bulb in the scanner, if you get my drift... He posts a scan of the videotape spine which clearly says "PAL".

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Post by K.I.T.T » Wed Sep 10, 2003 3:00 pm

lmao. Yet another nice little con ebayer!! Don't ya just love um!

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Post by knightimmortal » Wed Sep 10, 2003 3:05 pm

Anybody else think that the slogan for ebay should be "Buyer Beware?"

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Post by K.I.T.T » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:37 pm

LOL!! I 2nd that vote.

I've notice on Knight Rider items as well it says RARE VINTAGE, when in fact the seller has made something through Cafepress then sells it on as official merchandise lmao jerks


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Post by Supersonic Lorry » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:39 pm

I've only ever used E-Bay once and the guy who sold me a video was very helpful indeed. But there are a lot of cowboys on the site.

Us knowledgeable KR fans can spot a phony very easily. But casual KR fans won't and it's them I feel sorry for. Of course, E-Bay is hard to police (like any worldwide site) so it's up to individuals to be vigilant.

I've seen some really wild comments on E-Bay. Sometimes, a dodgy seller will say something like, "This film is only available on NTSC" but half the time, they're lying. It's just a sales technique.

I don't bother with E-Bay. Whatever item you want, there are cheaper and more convenient ways to get your hands on it. I visit the Memorabillia Convention twice a year here in Birmingham, England and there's always good stuff on sale there. Of course, I am sure that most other cities in the U.K. and the U.S. have similar conventions.

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Post by K.I.T.T » Wed Sep 10, 2003 4:53 pm

You get some crap on there too! I saw this one auction where this guy was selling his wife!!! lmao i mean "WHY"??????

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(P.S the add said she was a good cook!)

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Post by Stylez » Wed Sep 10, 2003 5:35 pm

Just to add something to this discussion...it is legal to sell for instance a KR boxset that was converted to NTSC from PAL as long as the sale of the copies is accompanied by the original. Anybody that would like to inquire further into the matter should do a search on "fairuse rights".

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Post by Michael Pajaro » Wed Sep 10, 2003 5:50 pm

That is an interesting condition for sale, Stylez, but I want to caution everyone (including myself) from feeling too secure playing "armchair lawyer". Although you may be covered by fair-use copyright law, you might get in trouble under international export laws, for example.

I have just enough experience to know what it is that I don't know, and copyright is a huge jumble of rules and laws. You may be perfectly safe on one front and then get bit from behind from another clause.

Adding to knightimmortal's eBay policy of "Let the Buyer Beware", I'll say "Let the Seller Beware" as well.

Mike

p.s. The "selling copies with original" idea is one I hadn't considered before. Thanks for bringing it up.
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Post by Skav » Wed Sep 10, 2003 6:44 pm

I haven't looked at the auction yet but is the guy from the US?

If so, couldn't he just have made a mistake in saying that the tapes are in NTSC format?

You do get people who aren't technically knowledgable in that area.

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Post by shawn757 » Wed Sep 10, 2003 7:23 pm

Yep He is from the US. He has over 500 feedback. He lists the same items (Knight rider, Six Million dollar man, Bionic woman, Wonder woman) each week. Most of his auctions are video's that are in PAL format and are not available in the US. Anyway thanks for advising me against bidding on these copies. Doesn't Universal or any other company look into this? Have you ever heard of anyone ever getting busted at ebay for selling illegal copies? This guy is making a killing each week.

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Post by knightimmortal » Wed Sep 10, 2003 9:19 pm

Ebay checks on occasion for illegal copies, but they have several million different sections to check on, so many do get through. Once again, it is pretty much up to the buyer, the feedback, and the word of mouth to protect the innocent.

KI

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