Post by Cinnamon on Aug 19, 2020 21:49:33 GMT
Terminology
Since some terms can be used interchangeably I thought that it might be good to give a short description of each term. I decided to order it from original to custom.
Original
Fairly straightforward, this is the official product, most likely released by the company itself or a partner of the company. In the Pokémon TCG world these are releases by Media Factory, Wizards of the Coast, and Nintendo itself. Rare editions like prize cards (Pikachu Illustrator, Pokemon Snap cards) fall under this category too.
Fake
So I stumbled upon this blog-post by Thrifted (a clothing store) with their take upon the terms 'Fake' and 'Bootleg'. Their definition of a fake item is something that has 'directly copied an authentic product already on the market, marketing itself as an original product in the hopes of duping the consumer'.
They also stated that people who creating these fake clothing pieces go to great lengths to replicate the original product (like replicating the wash labels for example). Copying an item in this way leaves no room for experimentation in the end product.
Replica
If the term 'Fake' is described as 'directly copying' a product to 'dupe the consumer', I would argue that the term 'Replica' can be used as 'directly copying', but without duping the consumer. A great example are these listing on Etsy featering replicas of the old prize cards.
They often are made as close a possible (sometimes with small change, like different holo-pattern), but marketed as a replica, therefore making the consumer knowledgeable that it's not the real deal. These items (at least on Etsy) are often way cheaper then their original counterpart.
Proxy
Wikipedia defines a 'Proxy card' as an 'easily acquired or home-made substitute for a collectible card'. This definition should make a 'Replica' and a 'Proxy' the same thing. I would argue that 'Replica' is an attempted to make the best version you can make, while 'Proxy' is just a copy of the original.
I saw different collectors with non-original Base 2 cards. I have a handful of them too. They use the same image and design as the original cards, but the card itself is different. For example the card has a different format or has a holo-pattern present in a different shape or form.
Bootleg
So the previously mentioned article of Thrifted gave a really good description, they stated that the aim of a bootleg piece isn't to copy existing pieces, only to creatively appropriate brands, mimicking the original but making it the designers own, resulting in a unique looking product.
They also stated that bootleg designs have a broader spectrum of creative freedom when they're using existing branding. Bootleg items use aspects of the original, but they use it in a different context then how brand would usually position themselves. Concluding with that this ultimately draws the line between a fake and a bootleg product.
Custom
I struggled a bit on how to describe this one, since it connects on many levels with the description of 'Bootleg', such as using aspect of the original, more creative freedom, mimicking the original but making it their on. I would say that 'Bootleg' is more focused on companies selling these articles, while 'Custom' is more created by artists and individuals.
Good examples of custom cards are all the cards made on online card creators. Some artists also create the cards and artwork themselves, resulting in pretty unique and cool cards. Some of these artists create cards of their own artwork in real life too. You could say that these have a 'company'-aspect to them too, but it's not on a big level, so therefore I consider it Custom, rather then Bootleg.
When I was looking to some Beckett magazines I saw that they sometimes feature drawings of cards sent in to them. This is something is would consider as 'Custom' too.
So here I have some terms I found and are worth discussion too. They're not in any specific order.
Knock-off
When you search Knock-off on Google you get this definition "a copy or imitation, especially of an expensive product". I think that 'Knock-off' is a word that can be used interchangeable with 'Proxy', or even 'Fake' and 'Replica' to some extend.
Counterfeit
The definition of the word 'Counterfeit' is 'something made in exact imitation of something valuable with the intention to deceive or defraud. Since it specifically days that it's meant to deceive someone, means that this word can be used interchangeable with 'Fake'.
Off-brand
The reason I include this word is because of r/crappyoffbrands. Google states that of-brand is an unknown, unpopular, or inferior brand of retail product. This is very broad with a lot of examples which are not a 'copy-of'.
R/crappyoffbrand says that the product must be imitation of an existing name brand to be allowed and that a poorly designed product that is not a knock-off in any way is a bad design, not a crappy off-brand. Personally I see a lot of bootleg stuff on this subreddit, so I think that, to some extend, 'bootleg' an 'off-brand' can be used interchangeable.
There are some terms which you can be use in correlation to bootleg video games, but since we, for now, focus on bootleg trading cards, I decided to not include those right now.
Since some terms can be used interchangeably I thought that it might be good to give a short description of each term. I decided to order it from original to custom.
Original
Fairly straightforward, this is the official product, most likely released by the company itself or a partner of the company. In the Pokémon TCG world these are releases by Media Factory, Wizards of the Coast, and Nintendo itself. Rare editions like prize cards (Pikachu Illustrator, Pokemon Snap cards) fall under this category too.
Fake
So I stumbled upon this blog-post by Thrifted (a clothing store) with their take upon the terms 'Fake' and 'Bootleg'. Their definition of a fake item is something that has 'directly copied an authentic product already on the market, marketing itself as an original product in the hopes of duping the consumer'.
They also stated that people who creating these fake clothing pieces go to great lengths to replicate the original product (like replicating the wash labels for example). Copying an item in this way leaves no room for experimentation in the end product.
Replica
If the term 'Fake' is described as 'directly copying' a product to 'dupe the consumer', I would argue that the term 'Replica' can be used as 'directly copying', but without duping the consumer. A great example are these listing on Etsy featering replicas of the old prize cards.
They often are made as close a possible (sometimes with small change, like different holo-pattern), but marketed as a replica, therefore making the consumer knowledgeable that it's not the real deal. These items (at least on Etsy) are often way cheaper then their original counterpart.
Proxy
Wikipedia defines a 'Proxy card' as an 'easily acquired or home-made substitute for a collectible card'. This definition should make a 'Replica' and a 'Proxy' the same thing. I would argue that 'Replica' is an attempted to make the best version you can make, while 'Proxy' is just a copy of the original.
I saw different collectors with non-original Base 2 cards. I have a handful of them too. They use the same image and design as the original cards, but the card itself is different. For example the card has a different format or has a holo-pattern present in a different shape or form.
Bootleg
So the previously mentioned article of Thrifted gave a really good description, they stated that the aim of a bootleg piece isn't to copy existing pieces, only to creatively appropriate brands, mimicking the original but making it the designers own, resulting in a unique looking product.
They also stated that bootleg designs have a broader spectrum of creative freedom when they're using existing branding. Bootleg items use aspects of the original, but they use it in a different context then how brand would usually position themselves. Concluding with that this ultimately draws the line between a fake and a bootleg product.
Custom
I struggled a bit on how to describe this one, since it connects on many levels with the description of 'Bootleg', such as using aspect of the original, more creative freedom, mimicking the original but making it their on. I would say that 'Bootleg' is more focused on companies selling these articles, while 'Custom' is more created by artists and individuals.
Good examples of custom cards are all the cards made on online card creators. Some artists also create the cards and artwork themselves, resulting in pretty unique and cool cards. Some of these artists create cards of their own artwork in real life too. You could say that these have a 'company'-aspect to them too, but it's not on a big level, so therefore I consider it Custom, rather then Bootleg.
When I was looking to some Beckett magazines I saw that they sometimes feature drawings of cards sent in to them. This is something is would consider as 'Custom' too.
So here I have some terms I found and are worth discussion too. They're not in any specific order.
Knock-off
When you search Knock-off on Google you get this definition "a copy or imitation, especially of an expensive product". I think that 'Knock-off' is a word that can be used interchangeable with 'Proxy', or even 'Fake' and 'Replica' to some extend.
Counterfeit
The definition of the word 'Counterfeit' is 'something made in exact imitation of something valuable with the intention to deceive or defraud. Since it specifically days that it's meant to deceive someone, means that this word can be used interchangeable with 'Fake'.
Off-brand
The reason I include this word is because of r/crappyoffbrands. Google states that of-brand is an unknown, unpopular, or inferior brand of retail product. This is very broad with a lot of examples which are not a 'copy-of'.
R/crappyoffbrand says that the product must be imitation of an existing name brand to be allowed and that a poorly designed product that is not a knock-off in any way is a bad design, not a crappy off-brand. Personally I see a lot of bootleg stuff on this subreddit, so I think that, to some extend, 'bootleg' an 'off-brand' can be used interchangeable.
There are some terms which you can be use in correlation to bootleg video games, but since we, for now, focus on bootleg trading cards, I decided to not include those right now.