Shyster, Shyster & Flywheel (2 Viewers)

[King & Country]

Hi Guys,
In answer to several posts…

1)“Movie Tie-Ins”
Some years back I had a meeting with Sales & Marketing people at 20th. Century Fox… They were very nice… very pleasant but were only interested in big bucks.

I tried to explain that this hobby is “very niche” not Franklin Mint or Bradford Exchange when they realized that this would not bring in mega bucks their interest rapidly declined.

I know another company spent lots and lots of money on movie tie ups with relatively limited return on their substantial investment.

So, not for K&C… sorry!

2)General Patton
Yes we did produce a “Patton Command Car” set in the dim and distant past. And yes the family’s representatives did get in touch with a “cease ‘n’ desist.” We got back in touch, reached an amicable financial settlement and everyone went away happy… and relieved.

A few years later we contacted the same representatives to work on a new “Patton” project. This time both the financial and legal requirements were horrendous and impossible to meet. So, we said, thanks but no thanks and went “back to the drawing-board.”

As for as I know George S. Patton is the only American General who has had his name and likeness “copyrighted”.

3)“Nazi Family Compensation”
As you know K&C has produced a fair number of historical figures including quite a few of the Third Reich’s “Hall of Shame”. So far we have heard nothing from the living relatives of Hitler, Himmler, Heydrich or any of the others… or indeed from their lawyers “Shyster, Shyster & Flywheel”.
However who knows what tomorrow’s post will bring ...?

Best wishes and Happy collecting!

Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder & Creative Director
King & Country​

 

[Jack]

Thanks Andy - I always love hearing from the owners. As a teacher I love having the sense that my opinions might just reach perceptive ears.{sm4}{sm4}

I think that Hitler's possessions may have been confiscated - and I am reaching into my dim dark past as an Undergraduate to remember this - by Bavaria. They may have held the copyright for Mein Kampf for a period of time. I will go a googling and check. I doubt whether anyone will be hearing from lawyers, though.

 

[PanzerAce1944]

Nice updates Andy. With all of the Tiger tanks produced I never see a dime........{sm3}

 

[Jack]

Thanks Andy - I always love hearing from the owners. As a teacher I love having the sense that my opinions might just reach perceptive ears.{sm4}{sm4}

I think that Hitler's possessions may have been confiscated - and I am reaching into my dim dark past as an Undergraduate to remember this - by Bavaria. They may have held the copyright for Mein Kampf for a period of time. I will go a googling and check. I doubt whether anyone will be hearing from lawyers, though.

Wikipedia!

At the time of his death, Hitler's official place of residence was in Munich, which led to his entire estate, including all rights to Mein Kampf, changing to the ownership of the state of Bavaria. As per German copyright law, the entire text is scheduled to enter the public domain on January 1, 2016, 70 years after the author's death.[18] The copyright has been relinquished for the Dutch and Swedish editions and some English ones (though not in the US, see below). Historian Werner Maser, in an interview with Bild am Sonntag has stated that Peter Raubal, son of Hitler's nephew, Leo Raubal, would have a strong legal case for winning the copyright from Bavaria if he pursued it. Raubal, an Austrian engineer, has stated he wants no part of the rights to the book, even though it could be worth millions of euros.[19] The government of Bavaria, in agreement with the federal government of Germany, refuses to allow any copying or printing of the book in Germany, and opposes it also in other countries but with less success. Owning and buying the book is legal. Trading in old copies is legal as well, unless it is done in such a fashion as to "promote hatred or war," which is generally illegal. In particular, the unmodified edition is not covered by §86 StGB that forbids dissemination of means of propaganda of unconstitutional organisations, since it is a "pre-constitutional work" and as such cannot be opposed to the free and democratic basic order, according to a 1979 decision of the Federal Court of Justice of Germany.[20] Most German libraries carry heavily commented and excerpted versions of Mein Kampf. In 2008, Stephan Kramer, secretary-general of the German Central Council of Jews, not only recommended lifting the ban, but volunteered the help of his organisation in editing and annotating the text, saying that it is time for the book to be made available to all online.[21]

 

[Rob]

Hi Andy, thanks for posting and clearing this one up. I actually think its good news as it leaves K&C to do what they do best, produce figures of real people, leaders and heroes as opposed to movie tie ins.

Cheers

Rob

 

[craig1985taylor]

Hi Andy, thanks for posting and clearing this one up. I actually think its good news as it leaves K&C to do what they do best, produce figures of real people, leaders and heroes as opposed to movie tie ins.

Cheers

Rob

I have to agree Rob I'd much rather have a historicly correct version of someone then the movie version, that being said I'd love some Easy Company figures made down the line, maybe based on some of the photos there is of the real Easy Company !

Craig

 

[waynepoo]

Wikipedia!

At the time of his death, Hitler's official place of residence was in Munich, which led to his entire estate, including all rights to Mein Kampf, changing to the ownership of the state of Bavaria. As per German copyright law, the entire text is scheduled to enter the public domain on January 1, 2016, 70 years after the author's death.[18] The copyright has been relinquished for the Dutch and Swedish editions and some English ones (though not in the US, see below). Historian Werner Maser, in an interview with Bild am Sonntag has stated that Peter Raubal, son of Hitler's nephew, Leo Raubal, would have a strong legal case for winning the copyright from Bavaria if he pursued it. Raubal, an Austrian engineer, has stated he wants no part of the rights to the book, even though it could be worth millions of euros.[19] The government of Bavaria, in agreement with the federal government of Germany, refuses to allow any copying or printing of the book in Germany, and opposes it also in other countries but with less success. Owning and buying the book is legal. Trading in old copies is legal as well, unless it is done in such a fashion as to "promote hatred or war," which is generally illegal. In particular, the unmodified edition is not covered by §86 StGB that forbids dissemination of means of propaganda of unconstitutional organisations, since it is a "pre-constitutional work" and as such cannot be opposed to the free and democratic basic order, according to a 1979 decision of the Federal Court of Justice of Germany.[20] Most German libraries carry heavily commented and excerpted versions of Mein Kampf. In 2008, Stephan Kramer, secretary-general of the German Central Council of Jews, not only recommended lifting the ban, but volunteered the help of his organisation in editing and annotating the text, saying that it is time for the book to be made available to all online.[21]

Mein Kampf is one of those books that I and many others have read only because of the mad goose that wrote it, if it had been written by some Joe Bloggs from down the road it's only worth would be holding up the dodgy end of the chook shed.
Wayne.

 

[Mitch]

I had an interview with shyster shyster but, flywheel was busy. Their firm motto was malpractice makes perfect!!!! I don't think this hobby has anything to worry from representatives of the german leaders or, it would have happened long ago with all the other stuff that has been released since the war ended.

Shame nobody really read Mein Kampf at the time its a clear document of what was to come a lesson ignored and cost 60 million people their lives.
Mitch

 

[Rob]

I had an interview with shyster shyster but, flywheel was busy. Their firm motto was malpractice makes perfect!!!! I don't think this hobby has anything to worry from representatives of the german leaders or, it would have happened long ago with all the other stuff that has been released since the war ended.

Shame nobody really read Mein Kampf at the time its a clear document of what was to come a lesson ignored and cost 60 million people their lives.
Mitch

Mitch,

More people would have read it, but at the time it came out there was a fascinating article regarding the history of the pencil sharpener in Readers Digest so it was overlooked:wink2:

Question is have we learnt from the mistake? Right now we have the guy from Norway on trial, his thought process is both disturbing and grimly fascinating, he as Hitler did before him believe it was his duty to change Europe.

Rob

 

[Fat Boy]

Shame nobody really read Mein Kampf at the time its a clear document of what was to come a lesson ignored and cost 60 million people their lives.
Mitch

I am convinced it would have changed nothing or not much.

The teacher Ben Ross has shown it's nicely (the Wave). That such things can happen at any time.

 

[jazzeum]

Under recent law passed in 2007 in California the rights to images of people that are passed to another survive the death of the grantor. This is also the law in Tennessee thanks to the Presley estate. Thus, if you want to sell figures of people who lived in California, you need to have the rights to do so. This may be a growing trend and if you intend to use a dead person's likeness, no matter the jurisdiction, you should consult an attorney.

 

[Mitch]

Hindsight is a great thing but, clearly there were substantial warnings about what Hitler intended to do and, no more so than his written word. We ignored or, refused to acknowledge what his intentions were (or, people with the power did) many at that time were all to aware in many european countries what he was up to. He could have been stopped had they wished to they just choose to bury their heads in the proverbial sand and hope the problem would sort itself out
Mitch

I am convinced it would have changed nothing or not much.

The teacher Ben Ross has shown it's nicely (the Wave). That such things can happen at any time.

 

[jazzeum]

As for the use of the term "shyster" in a thread I'm disappointed to see its use here. The term is usually considered as a derogatory term for a lawyer who is Jewish. I realize that Groucho Marx, who is Jewish, used the term but much of what the Marx Brothers said was to shock.

I would have hoped not to see a racial epithet used here but I can't say I'm surprised by anything anymore.

 

[Jack]

As for the use of the term "shyster" in a thread I'm disappointed to see its use here. The term is usually considered as a derogatory term for a lawyer who is Jewish. I realize that Groucho Marx, who is Jewish, used the term but much of what the Marx Brothers said was to shock.

I would have hoped not to see a racial epithet used here but I can't say I'm surprised by anything anymore.

I did not realise immediately that the thread topic had a particular Jewish connection ( I assume the connection is to Shylock), although I did recognise it as none too complimentary reference to lawyers. I do not know if it has currency overseas but we have terms like paddywagon for a police van which are relatively commonly used without a general recognition that they are slurs. Language is a tricky think I suppose. It evolves much like a living organism in some respects.

 

[Fitzgibbon]

If we knew the origin of most of the English language, most of us would probably rather speak something else. But most origins quickly fade against developing conventions of use. As a Baby Boomer, I can sincerely say that I have heard this word in common usage for a very long time, and never once in that time met a Jewish Lawyer - it generally comes along in the context of someone extolling the virtue of something that is without virtue...more common in sales than lawyer business I believe; particularly common among the descriptors of telemarketing...the annoying shysters who ring at one minute to eight PM. At that, it is a very tame epithet...

 

[Fitzgibbon]

...and in the K&C land of fascinating figures, what about some K&C camera folk filming Baron Larrey and the Ambulance of the Imperial Guard? On the K&C set rather than Fox et al......

 

[theBaron]

As for the use of the term "shyster" in a thread I'm disappointed to see its use here. The term is usually considered as a derogatory term for a lawyer who is Jewish. I realize that Groucho Marx, who is Jewish, used the term but much of what the Marx Brothers said was to shock.

I would have hoped not to see a racial epithet used here but I can't say I'm surprised by anything anymore.

While it's origin is Yiddish, in the broader English-speaking community, it means a shady lawyer, regardless of his ethnicity or religion.

Maybe we should have said "Philadelphia lawyer" instead...

 

[buffalohibernia]

To say nothing of used car salesmen!

 

[theBaron]

Andy must not be a Three Stooges fan, or he might have used, "Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe".

Prost!
Brad

 

[thebritfarmer]

Until Brad mentioned it I never even heard of a Jewish connection it is mentioned here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shyster

Various false etymologies have proposed an anti-Semitic origin, and some people continue to regard the word as referring particularly to Jews or Jewish lawyers