Deusbot wrote:
<<General questions :
Is it illegal to generate an image (e.g. make a CAD model from scratch) that resembles someone ( and 6000 other people) without their permission? Are you allowed to draw ?>>
Of course you can draw or generate an image, but if you try to market something that looks like a celebrity you could be setting yourself up for a suit. With the heavy capital investment in patterns and molds, why take that chance?
<<Would it be illegal for a fictional character instead of a real actor/actress?>>
Yes, even more so. Using a character from a copywritten work would be asking for legal trouble. So, no Melanie Griffin as Cherry 2000, or variants thereof. Sorry!
<<Claim of a 'Spoof Doll' ? >>
Interesting argument there, but one that I suspect would not hold up in court. Could you make a toy action figure of the person in question? If not, you could not make an, er, adult action figure
<<Would it be illegal to allow customers to submit CAD files for fabrication without review? (same idea only different) "Your file looks like Starlett!","No its my swedish pen pal Inga.">>
You could probably get away with this one for your own personal use. How would the star find out about it, unless you were indiscreet. I imagine that, for the right price, you could find someone to do that. But remember, you would be paying for all mold costs out of one doll, as it could not be marketed in a way to amortize the investment in time and materials.
<<What about gaining permission of a 'look-a-like' ?>>
You mean life-casting someone who resembles celebrity X? No problem there, as long as you don't market it as Celebrity X, no matter how coyly. For example, calling your a close variant of the Celebs name - Tracie Lords, or one of her characters names. Check out some of the limted run resin figure manufacturers for the strategies they use, but remember that a celebrity would have a much stronger incentive to slap a cease and desist on a sex doll in their image.
<<And how far does these paramenters have to deviate to be 'safe'>>
That will be one for the courts, and I doubt that Realdoll or Superbabe will be real eager to find out anytime soon. Face it, there are plenty of attracive girls out there who would be willing to be life-cast - think of the porn stars who would be happy, for a fee of course, perhaps a royalty on each doll.
Just my opinion, of course, and your mileage may vary.
DALI
