[dd3mon]

Why in the world would the mint companies possibly not want amplifiers made inside them?

This only serves as free advertising for them, and creates a far superior product than they sell (amp > mints). Makes a dual use for their product, only increasing sales. What kind of crack-smoking lawyer jocky is this C.F.O? I'd love you to give me the name/e-mail of this company and CFO. I would gladly mail him my thoughts.

-dd3mon

 

[usc goose]

Quote:

Originally posted by dd3mon Why in the world would the mint companies possibly not want amplifiers made inside them? This only serves as free advertising for them, and creates a far superior product than they sell (amp > mints). Makes a dual use for their product, only increasing sales. What kind of crack-smoking lawyer jocky is this C.F.O? I'd love you to give me the name/e-mail of this company and CFO. I would gladly mail him my thoughts. -dd3mon

well the case can be made that people would rather buy an amp made in an altoids tin than in a plain metal casing. so the name altoids represents a market edge obtained by the company that markets altoids which is being unfairly used by the amp builder who does as such.

conversely, if that altoids amp fails, the consumer may deem altoids responsible which is unwarranted since altoids had no oversight over the product bearing its name.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

After thinking about this I'm a bit confused. If you BUY the mints in this can, eat the mints, and then use the leftover can to put an amp in and sell it, how is that illegal? Its not like you bought a bunch of empty tins and then resell the product. Is this any more illegal than not getting permission from the resistor, transistor, and capacitor manufacturers who's parts are also soldered into the amp board inside the tin? You bought something for its intended use, then midified it after you used it, ie ate the mints, then turned the refuse into something planet friendly since it won't be hitting the garbage dump?

Is this a case where some big company is pushing around the little guy again? Like when someone had a username on a website that was Teflon, and they were told they couldn't use it. Who's gonna take on some corporate giant over something so petty as this? Do they really have a leg to stand on legally?

 

[Born2bwire]

If anything the making of amps out of their tins increases sales, how many of us are buying altoids and penguin mints for the tins instead of the candy (well I buy penguin for the caffeine though)?

 

[averydonovan]

The problem they may be having is that people are advertising these amps made in Altoids mint tins or Penguin mint tins, which might be interpreted as those amps being endorsed, manufactured, and/or otherwise authorized by those companies. Selling a "Headphone Amplifier In A Mint Tin" may not be a problem, but selling a "Peppermint Altoids Mint Tin Headphone Amplifier" might be the problem they are having. But IANAL...

 

[Orpheus]

dude, usc goose... you're getting good at this language stuff. you should consider law instead of med... heh he. (well, personally, i would say consider ANYTHING instead of med..... my biggest mistake of my life. but that's just me.)

 

[usc goose]

Quote:

Originally posted by Orpheus dude, usc goose... you're getting good at this language stuff. you should consider law instead of med... heh he. (well, personally, i would say consider ANYTHING instead of med..... my biggest mistake of my life. but that's just me.)

thanks.

i happen to like this med thing though. i just need to get off the net and do some studying. i've done more posting today than i've done in maybe 2 weeks.

and you forget i used to be an actor. i may not know everything but i can pretend.

 

[Orpheus]

ha ha......... and i used to be a quasi med-student too..... and now 1/2 my friends have MD's.... really! not kidding. ...and i can honestly say i'm glad i didn't apply to any med schools.

okay... sorry, off topic.

i think braillediver's idea is ingenious.

sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[markl]

It's obviously about copyright and owning the images and branding on the tin. It's there brand, only they are authorized to sell it, you don't have any right to re-purpose their product and re-sell it as your own.

I'm not defending them, it's stupid, they should instead be delighted by what is a tribute to them, not a rip-off.

 

[eyevancsu]

Even if the pics are your own, as in you take them youself? I thought that you could take pictures of anything and use them for any purpose, but i may be wrong.

ivan c.

 

[markl]

No, I mean the images on the tin. All the writing and graphics and the brand name. Even the shape of the tin itself could be "owned" as a sort of trademark, an identifier of that brand.

 

[eyevancsu]

I agree with you in regards to them owning the pictures, writing, etc on the tin, but i dont think that the shape is "trademarked", as ive been searching for custom tin cans as a substitute for the novelty ones.

ivan c.

 

[rickcr42]

it seems the real problem is not the DIY amps or pictures posted of the amps but the sale of amps for profit with a company trademark on the enclosure

 

[smokey]

I suppose you could find a supplier of tin cans, and then design your own label. Perhaps you could use art in the public domain like WWII bomber nose paintings. Maybe have decals made and slap them on the blank tins?

Alternatively, maybe you could have your customers send you the case they would like you to use. That way you wouldn't be advertising in advance the use of a trademarked picture. Although you might need an opinion letter from a trade mark attorney to make sure you were still legal.

At the least, turn the company over to the local, state, and national EPA folks. They would likely take a dim view of the company forcing you to abandon your attempt to keep our landfills just a little cleaner.

Finally, if you have to, just take your tins to an automotive repair shop and have the painted labels sandplasted off.

 

[ProFingerSk8er]

i agree very much with you rickcr42, bommer..
maybe i should strip those painted designs...