Update: On Aug. 31 LEGO posted an apology as comment on YouTube and explained that the takedown notice was a mistake.
Earlier this past day I abruptly took all of my LEGO SW:TLJ reviews offline in response to an email from "The LEGO Group Brand Protection" demanding the same. This email carefully listed each relevant post on this blog and each YouTube video individually and closed with a very clear threat:
"Further legal action may be pursued if this situation cannot be resolved."
After meticulously evaluating every word of the nearly screen-sized message and investigating its source, I chose to comply first, question later, and question later I did with a reply (to which no follow-up response has been received as of this writing, though in fairness it hasn't been very long). Within less than one minute of taking my videos down, though, there were fan questions as well as theories about the disappearances being posted on multiple videos. Obviously I needed to make an explanation to viewers, and fast, so I put together a brief, but very carefully crafted, text-only message on my channel:
As noted there, I do not believe LEGO is the original source of this threat, though they delivered it fully under their banner (via an agency they employ). As noted there, I am confident this threat is erroneous and unfounded and that I have committed absolutely no wrongdoing in the matter.
I will not lose any sleep over this. I will not be calling for a boycott of LEGO or Disney over this. I will not make a video of me smashing LEGO Star Wars sets with a sledgehammer over this. I will not stop reviewing LEGO sets or building my LEGO city over this. Heck, I have not lost any of my passion and love for LEGO products over this.
Believe it or not, I have not even lost any of my feeling that LEGO is one of the most very most ethical of the money-minting big corporations in the world. One mistake, how ever aggravating, does not change everything for me just because I was wronged personally. There's a much bigger picture in life in general, and over-reaction based upon personal emotion is nearly always 100% detrimental and non-constructive.
Star Wars The Last Jedi products from LEGO and other companies have been appearing on shelves with no checkout restriction at ever more major chain stores across the United States over the past couple of weeks, coast to coast, and are now in the UK & Australia* as well (and even official LEGOLAND stores!!!?!!). In just two short days, these things will be released at even more locations, at which point this whole ordeal will become fully moot and I will bring my videos back from the dead.
* As of Aug. 30 evening, user "Black-Key Productions" on YouTube reports that Myers in Australia has pulled TLJ sets from shelves and Melbourne's LEGOLAND Discovery Center has none out. It's good to hear that some attention is being pointed in the correct direction, towards the actual problem. I hope the significant social media buzz about the issue following by my decision to comply with the demands rather than quietly defy them will help reduce the mess of the next big release.
