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Friday, March 2, 2012

Shameless MOC photo thieves: 0, You: Win


There have been a handful of times in the past that I've posted about folks of wildly varying ages shamelessly taking photos right off this page and immediately re-uploading them to the official LEGO Hero Factory Gallery with new names & backstories.  What I bring to you today, though, puts all of those previous reports to shame.

Over the past few months I've been quietly collecting notes from readers like you both here and on YouTube who have pointed out various places my photos have shown up with other people taking completely undue credit.  Over the past week, I went through the proper channels and got 21 of these... situations... corrected.
From the official LEGO Hero Factory Gallery:
  • sert3210 stole photos of my Ultra Arachnix, Stormer XL, and Trachylomid
  • kiliankip posted up my Anansi mobile gun drone
  • duncan1921 uploaded a shot of the 4-legged walker from my Bionicle: Untold Rilovian storyline
  • hanifanilham "borrowed" Blanko 1.9
  • cameronhead tried to take credit for my Bionicle MOC "Greed"
  • gabriel9377 used my photo of the normal Breakout Surge for some reason, complete with my watermark all over it
  • happydap123 claimed my Vaptix R-1S as his own
  • asdfhd took one of my photos of Alba
  • mrblue4397 re-uploaded a pic of Tylus
  • dien3981, furkfrompork, and m1970arcelo each tried to take credit for my "The Drone" movie replica from Rise of the Rookies, which in turn wasn't even my design to begin with.  The difference is that had the decency to explicitly state exactly what the creation was, what inspired it, where it came from, and, once I found out, who did the original design that then inspired the movie version. I also actually built the one I blogged about with my own hands and my own parts, and I took the photos myself.
  • m1970arcelo went not just the extra mile, but extra miles by snatching some of my photos of Redox 2.0, Ruze 2.0, Alba, Stringer 2.0, Bulk 2.0, and Specter 2.0
Also reported by a YouTube viewer, an eBay user under the name marshadharris put up a for-sale listing for all 3 of the 2.0-series hero combiner sets, and used one of my photos as if it was a picture of what he/she was selling.

Thanks to some very basic laws out there that essentially say "you can't steal," all of the above entries in the offical HF gallery have been deleted, and the eBay auction was taken down.

Once again I must thank all of you readers out there who report these things, and would appreciate any continued help since I really don't get much time to browse anything for any reason.  I also don't desire to trawl the 'net looking for people who are trying to take credit for my work.  I prefer to focus on making MOCs, testing RC cars & planes, spending time with my girlfriend, and doing other positive, enjoyable things.

Now, every time I make mention of the whole abstract concept of "stealing is bad," at least one hero steps up to defend the thiefdom, saying something like, "They're just kids, they don't know what they're doing."  Some responses from me:
  1. Some of them say they're in their teens. They know what they're doing.
  2. Many of them didn't just re-up the photos, they gave the creations new names and wrote descriptions saying how long it took them to build the MOCs or how difficult they were.  They know what they're doing.
  3. I'll split the truly young kids who have done this stuff into two groups...
    1. Some know full well that they're taking someone else's work and calling it their own, but they don't think this is wrong, as long as they don't get caught.  This is a failure of parenting, and needs to be fixed. Theft & plagiarism are wrong, and you won't get far in life with either.
    2. Some don't fully understand what they're doing at all, they're just moving around pictures that they like. I'm not mad at 'em, but they still need to know that on this planet called Earth, which they'll be living in for their whole lives, taking other peoples' stuff without their permission isn't something you should do. Simple as that.

47 comments:

  1. I'm glad you tracked them down. Stealing and posting on websites with different backstories like they made it is just low.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree cause its like: guys , seriously , make your own mocs and quit stealing someone elses work you pathetic haters. I mean heck , If I were a moc maker who wants to make mocs , I'd rather be: A guy whos mocs dnt look so good to some people but gradually get better as time passes rather than the guy who starts stuff with others and goes as low as thievery

      Delete
    2. I sent him the thing about the guy that Borrowed Blanko 1.9.

      Delete
  2. I think that to steal these things is really wrong and these people should learn that stealing causes nothing but trouble.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hey, jang. I have just finished a MOC of the 2012 XT4- it took a really long time ( like an hour) 1 bacause the body of XT4 is NEW SMALLER BODY- perfact for recers mocs. so that IS the main problem, however i want to take photos of it so it can be seen and innovated. never the less there is but one person who could do so. can you make a MOC of XT4 next???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jang, if you do, i suggest using the meltdown mask.
      -Will

      Delete
    2. No offense, but I doubt that JANG is the only person who could successfully create a mock-up XT4.

      Delete
  4. YAY!!! I helped stop robbers!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YAY!You have just became a LEGO hero factory rozzer!

      Delete
    2. It's what james may calls the cops.

      Delete
  5. hey jang u tell them not to take peoples work like yours.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i told him about cameronhead stealing greed

    ReplyDelete
  7. Big round of applause for everyone who reported stolen MOCs, especially Avron, who reported quite a lot of stolen material.

    Hey JANG, sorry for the self-promotion, but would you mind taking a look at these Hero Factory MOCs of mine? (They aren't stolen! :P )

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey, LegoJang! On the Hero Factory Gallery, a user named dannyboy1234dan has stolen a pic of your Bionicle MOC Greed!

    He named it "Creation from Heropad application". Lets get LEGO's attention to report this a******!

    Here's the link: http://herofactory.lego.com/en-US/Gallery/Default.aspx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice job Jang, bringing some delinquents to justice. It must feel terrible to have your work essentially stolen from you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey JANG, If I ever do that, I'll say Credit goes to JANG for this, It's NOT mine. Or I'm just using it as a poster =)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Good on ya Jang for Tracking the thieves down

    FYI I've always been a fan of yours and I'd NEVER do that

    That drone is also EXTREMELY COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Thanx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jang!A user called dannyboy1234dan uploaded your picture kalek 2.0 onto the official hero factory gallery!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey JANG, I found a guy by the name of dannyboy1234dan on the hero factory gallery take greed and kalek 2.0

    ReplyDelete
  14. Shame on those who steal.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Jang.

    I'll be watching the gallery too like the others.( By the way AWESOME MOCS!)

    -The Gallery Monitor

    ReplyDelete
  16. Funny thing is you used that drone as picture here...And that is kinda stolen from the original designer XP

    (I know it's meant to be a replica and not a stolen MOC but you get my point)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *ahem*
      To quote the above post:
      ... "The Drone" movie replica from Rise of the Rookies, which in turn wasn't even my design to begin with. The difference is that had the decency to explicitly state exactly what the creation was, what inspired it, where it came from, and, once I found out, who did the original design that then inspired the movie version. ...

      I'd also like to say that the original maker of the first Drone MOC actually commented on JANG's version, saying how awesome it is.

      Delete
  17. I think it's horrible that people steal like that! Good job tracking them down Jang \m/(>.<)\m/

    ReplyDelete
  18. http://herofactory.lego.com/en-US/Gallery/Default.aspx go there this "10" year old stole your bulk 2.0

    ReplyDelete
  19. I don't know why people steal your MOC pictures for no reason.Shouldn't they make their own MOCs and post their own MOCs onto the official hero factory gallery?And anyway,I made my own MOCs but I never post any of my MOC pictures onto the gallery.People who likes to steal,think twice first.

    ReplyDelete
  20. While technically, nothing is "wrong", why not actually have some fun and try to build things on your own and use your creativity? If you don't have the money for the parts but do have the money for a computer you are kidding yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dude what exactly are saying, No offense or anything i just don't understand.
      btw i'm a mocist myself but i don't post them online cuz im to lazy to set up a account :p

      Delete
  21. well, good job busting those thieves jang! I am a medium-skilled MOCer, and my creations often feature horrible monsters or terribly mutanted heroes. heck, I've got a four-armed mutant sitting by me right now!. I would hate for someone to see it, put it online, then say that they built it. so I would like to suggest something that you might use: have the MOCs holding a sign say something like, "built by thejang" that way, the MOCers won't be able to edit out the watermark, and they don't know the inner workings that are covered by the sign. and when people want to see what's behind it, they go to the video. thatway, you can safely post things with out theft!. just a thought though. not sure if it would work

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice idea, but don't you think it would ruin the effect of the MOC if every picture had them holding a 'built by JANG' sign on it?

      Delete
  22. Scorpio4792 uploaded a picture of blanko 1.9 up to the Hero Factory gallery, naming it Creation from Heropad Application and describing it as Black 4.0
    http://herofactory.lego.com/en-US/Gallery/Default.aspx
    Page 4

    ReplyDelete
  23. Those pathetic thieves, i dont know why they think they can just steal your work like that. btw, I was the one who reported the stolen picture of surge.(LegoDude2465 from youtube). Hey JANG, ive recently uploaded my first Bionicle MOC. His name is Krodan, and hes a toa of Iron. I dont have many Bionicle parts at all unfortunatly... Could you watch the video and tell me what you think? My youtube name is LegoDude2465.

    ReplyDelete
  24. What I said is that technically nothing is "wrong", but you could simply make your own mocs and get more fun out of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing i wrong? No offense but jang just said stealing is wrong. And it is. I do agree with you about them making their own mocs.
      -Will

      Delete
  25. In all honesty there is no right or wrong. Can you show me a scientific law that says that it is wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Scorpio4792 stole your blanko 1.9 moc too and uploaded it, it is still up

    ReplyDelete
  27. some guy named fbohore stole one of your older mocs and claimed it as his own! HE named it Creation from teh heropad (like everyone else has....)

    ReplyDelete
  28. caleb1196 stole your "the drone"picture and upload it to the official hero factory and he named it"creation from heropad application"

    ReplyDelete
  29. im F****N annoyed about these guys, maybe the police should get involved

    ReplyDelete
  30. hi,I'm wishbear2003 here(that's my lego username)and I got another robber who stole your MOC picture,specter 2.0.The person is johncosqrove1997.He zoom the picture right onto the weapon itself.He named it "creation from heropad application"Actually I'm the one who reported about dannyboy1234dan stealing your kalek 2.0 picture and caleb1196 stealing your "The drone" picture as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just as a note when you report a stolen MOC, you should do it on the latest post. But don't worry, I already reported them on "Lorne addresses the Sempax" (before I even saw this comment).

      Delete
    2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqVp7oHwIuI

      I can't tell if it's linking or not, but I found yet another of these pests.

      Delete
  31. yeah u showed those stupid bully trolls keep fihgting 4 justice how dare they take pictures of ur nikles stupid troll bullys should know better!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    good work pal and everyone who contributed keep spread righteousness ;^)) love u man

    ReplyDelete
  32. I made a guy too, hes really cool.
    100% not stolen from anyone else.
    Hes called Blanko

    ReplyDelete