[GB] GMK BLINK - CANCELLED (for now)

[Mythra]

By having to be modified, I assume the only issue is the name? Even then, it'd be silly - a generic term for the name and black and pink colors. How do you have an infringement problem with that?

TKC grow some balls. Any legal consultant that can chime in? Calling in lawyer enjoy

hi not a lawyer (this is not legal advice) but worked at a company that deals with people's copyright (you've heard of it)

you are simply incorrect in so many ways and i do not think it is worth spending my time explaining it

also YG is a giant company who can afford better lawyers than TKC, a startup

Let's name it GMK Pinkblack, then

would also not hold up

either get a license (unlikely given the C&D) or abandon the set (smartest option)

Can you explain it to me? I don't see how two generic colors tied to a human activity name could give someone legal trouble. Happy to learn something new, no sarcasm

To be honest, its pretty logical when you think about it and use common sense. TKC/OP is trying to use the hype and reputation of a well established kpop group in order to push and sell “merch” and i suppose make some profit while being at it right?
YG Entertainment who owns the rights to said kpop group would for sure wanna have a piece of the pie if money is being made.
Now you would think that OP would’ve/should’ve at least gotten permission from YG Ent or gotten a license or reached a royalty deal of some sort in order to proceed with the project (Much like GMK White Wolf who contacted CD Projekt Red to have their input - or another example :you wanna start making batman toys well you need to contact DC Comics and ask them if they are cool with it and splitting some of the profit for them to agree to the idea.) this wouldve saved so much time and effort for all parties involved from the beginning

I sincerely hope jebbra reaches a deal with YG or something because i am a blink myself and would love to have this as my first set of keys.

All in all, disappointed by the news but its understandable that its suspended due to copyright infringement..

[Pluto19]

Hello all, it's true that we got a letter from YG regarding this set. After further investigation the main culprit might be the name itself: GMK BLINK. Yes this is my fault to begin with, while I knew BLINK is indeed the name of their fanbase, I overlooked the fact that it's at the same time official and highly chance copyrighted too.

Currently I'm working with Jason and his attorney regarding the next step but rest assured scrapping this set is not crossing my mind. I'm confident the Base Kit (and also the Black Kit) is not violating any copyright. Worst case is we will remove any BLACKPINK related novelties and change it to things related to KPOP music / Korean popular culture in general. But how the process will be executed will be on TK.C's term.

I'm truly sorry for this inconvenience, I know it's too dumb on the name part

[_rubik]

Can you explain it to me? I don't see how two generic colors tied to a human activity name could give someone legal trouble. Happy to learn something new, no sarcasm

It feels pretty straight forward to me. The name almost matches, and the novelties depict the members and various design queues from the band. Seems like a more generic novelties kit and calling in "PoB" would do the trick. That said.... does OP want to produce a more generic PoB set?

[Vaudevi77ain]

Can you explain it to me? I don't see how two generic colors tied to a human activity name could give someone legal trouble. Happy to learn something new, no sarcasm

It feels pretty straight forward to me. The name almost matches, and the novelties depict the members and various design queues from the band. Seems like a more generic novelties kit and calling in "PoB" would do the trick. That said.... does OP want to produce a more generic PoB set?

The novelties (even though I pre-ordered it, RIP) aren't what make the set for me - I really like the combination of black, pink, and hangul, which seem to not be the legally contentious part

[Mydayyy]

The novelties (even though I pre-ordered it, RIP) aren't what make the set for me - I really like the combination of black, pink, and hangul, which seem to not be the legally contentious part

Exactly the same for me. I too have ordered the novelties but I would be just as happy with only the base kit. I do like the inverted C and N very much tho.

Really hope this will be resolved

[deliciousmango]

The novelties (even though I pre-ordered it, RIP) aren't what make the set for me - I really like the combination of black, pink, and hangul, which seem to not be the legally contentious part

Exactly the same for me. I too have ordered the novelties but I would be just as happy with only the base kit. I do like the inverted C and N very much tho.

Really hope this will be resolved

The base kit is what I ordered. Although I wanted the inverted A C N keys, I didn't want to spend $60 just to use those. Like everyone else in this thread, hopefully this will be resolved soon too.

[Xnfe]

Yea I like the A C N novalties like other have mentioned and hope they stay. If you can’t use the dududu and kill this love I would think it would be cool to have hangal text mods would be pretty cool.

[jisun]

 I would really like to see this set come out. I really liked the color scheme when I first saw it and didn't even know it had to with Blackpink.

[Hanabi]

Exactly the same for me. I too have ordered the novelties but I would be just as happy with only the base kit. I do like the inverted C and N very much tho.

Really hope this will be resolved

+1. Really liked the inverted A C N keys. Was contemplating on the novelties kit since I really only wanted 3 keys but definitely gonna get myself a base kit.

[Agilr]

Exactly the same for me. I too have ordered the novelties but I would be just as happy with only the base kit. I do like the inverted C and N very much tho.

Really hope this will be resolved

+1. Really liked the inverted A C N keys. Was contemplating on the novelties kit since I really only wanted 3 keys but definitely gonna get myself a base kit.

That was exactly my sentiment; I liked those keys but wasn't sure it was worth justifying $60 USD for what was essentially 3 keys.

Especially when it was going on the black base kit where the majority of novelties were pink and wouldn't suit it at all.

[Xnfe]

Wouldnt mind paying extra to add the A C N keys into the base kit.

[sendrim]

Wouldnt mind paying extra to add the A C N keys into the base kit.

I also want this! 

[Jaxxstatic]

Please change the thread Title and original post to include the information about the copyright issue, and that kits will be changing.
You don't want to mislead people into buying something that will be different by the time they get it.

[Vaudevi77ain]

Is there an update or timeline for how this is set to resolve? Some GBs for boards I'm interested in are about to go live, and I just want to know if this set is still happening to guide my color decisions.

[Xnfe]

Is this dead?

[jebbra]

Hello, sorry for the long silence. I wanna wait for it to be as clear as daylight to me when I release further statement about this, hence the long wait, but since this has been almost 2 weeks already since the suspended sale, I think I owe an explanation.

Currently the set is on hold because copyright issues as you all might already know.
1. So what are the next plan? Currently we are in talks with our own attorney for how we gonna respond regarding the matters.
2. Will the set coming back? Personally I won't scrape this set. The worst outcome will be it won't have anything related to Blackpink (the girlband) at all but I think something like inverted A C N is quite universal.
3. How the current buy will be resolved? This is on TK.C hands, and back to point 1, we still in talks with our attorney.

I will post things ASAP when we got follow up. Let's pray the best for this set

[mvkoto]

Hello, sorry for the long silence. I wanna wait for it to be as clear as daylight to me when I release further statement about this, hence the long wait, but since this has been almost 2 weeks already since the suspended sale, I think I owe an explanation.

Currently the set is on hold because copyright issues as you all might already know.
1. So what are the next plan? Currently we are in talks with our own attorney for how we gonna respond regarding the matters.
2. Will the set coming back? Personally I won't scrape this set. The worst outcome will be it won't have anything related to Blackpink (the girlband) at all but I think something like inverted A C N is quite universal.
3. How the current buy will be resolved? This is on TK.C hands, and back to point 1, we still in talks with our attorney.

I will post things ASAP when we got follow up. Let's pray the best for this set

Best of luck to you guys! Reading through this entire thread, it sounds like a lot of ppl are supporting this keycap set even without the whole reference to Blackpink. 

[justor]

Hopefully everything gets resolved. Must buy!

[TerryMathews]

After internal discussion, we have decided the best path forward is to cancel this GB. We are processing refunds to all participants.

[Krelbit]

f

[uberkiwi]

Would love to see this come back without the references to Blackpink.
I really like the colour scheme.

[Vaudevi77ain]

Big F. I've been waiting so long for this.

[Tyson]

After internal discussion, we have decided the best path forward is to cancel this GB. We are processing refunds to all participants.

Pour one out for the homie, F.

[Zytjok]

F, will keep eye out if you re-IC the color scheme as that was the most important thing for me - best of luck resolving everything!

[aadk5]

F for all the blinks. I hope you can at least have the likeness of the girls in the next kit, I could do without the song names and album covers lol

[itsbeard]

Damn. This was going to be my first GB.. loved the colors and it being BP was even cooler. What a shame, classic YG.

[Vaudevi77ain]

Can you let us know if there are plans to redo this keyset in a more generic way? I still like the black/pink/hangul combination, and I can do without the copyrighted song names and faces.

[Drehunnid]

Yang Hyung Suk gotta ruin everything. This was the only reason why I got into keebs..

[jebbra]

Ok guys and girls, after a long discussion with the team, I’m here to apologize that this set will be cancelled for now.
All current buyer will be refunded accordingly as soon as possible.

I will redesign the set so the same things won’t happen again but it will take some time until we can launch it back.

Again, I’m truly sorry for this inconvenience and of course thank you very very very much for your support to this set it really means a lot to me!


PS we might get back to the IC thread for future updates regarding the changes

[Puddsy]

Ok guys and girls, after a long discussion with the team, I’m here to apologize that this set will be cancelled for now.
All current buyer will be refunded accordingly as soon as possible.

I will redesign the set so the same things won’t happen again but it will take some time until we can launch it back.

Again, I’m truly sorry for this inconvenience and of course thank you very very very much for your support to this set it really means a lot to me!


PS we might get back to the IC thread for future updates regarding the changes

F

[Vaudevi77ain]

Ok guys and girls, after a long discussion with the team, I’m here to apologize that this set will be cancelled for now.
All current buyer will be refunded accordingly as soon as possible.

I will redesign the set so the same things won’t happen again but it will take some time until we can launch it back.

Again, I’m truly sorry for this inconvenience and of course thank you very very very much for your support to this set it really means a lot to me!


PS we might get back to the IC thread for future updates regarding the changes

Thanks for the update. How different do you think the updated set will be, and will the IC/GB happen this year? I just wanna plan my budget/purchases appropriately

[Fooblitzky]

 Rum, pum, pum, pum, pum, pum, pum

[khoaistran]

Next time! This was going to be my first GB but just unlucky. Thanks for your hard work

[FamDK]

very unlooky, big fan of Blackpink and the color scheme is just amazing. Good luck on the re-design, can't wait to see what you gonna come up with.

[Kenny20x2]

What are the colour codes for this set?

[lucorg]

I just heard about this kit today, got excited and googled it. I don't know a thing about this forum or how the group buy works, but saw that the original date to join was already due, so I rushed to create an account and ask if there was still a way to get it, just to find out that it got cancelled by YG 

[youngano]

Are there any updates on this set? Would love to see it come back

[fuzzybaffy]

So crazy that YG got wind of this, lol... then again, the Black Pink fanbase seems pretty rabid, so I shouldn't be surprised.

[aadk5]

So crazy that YG got wind of this, lol... then again, the Black Pink fanbase seems pretty rabid, so I shouldn't be surprised.

I feel like it didn't help that they added a Korean vendor so it became more local. Also the timing was kind of unfortunate since it was right around the comeback so they were probably doing searches for Blink and Blackpink

[9mmninjamonkey]

Are there any updates on this set? Would love to see it come back

Like anything with Blackpink... comebacks aren't often. BP might be onto their next mini-album (after their upcoming full album) by the time this GMK set gets going again... then they'll be disbanded by the time we get the set. 

[Puddsy]

So crazy that YG got wind of this, lol... then again, the Black Pink fanbase seems pretty rabid, so I shouldn't be surprised.

im not exactly a kpop stan but i do know that YG is sort of famously litigious so it makes sense

[Vaudevi77ain]

Are there any updates on this set? Would love to see it come back

by the time this GMK set gets going again... then they'll be disbanded by the time we get the set. 

I know this is half serious, but knowing the timelines behind mech groupbuys, this is probably going to be true. lmao

[-Jerry-]

Are there any updates on this set? Would love to see it come back

by the time this GMK set gets going again... then they'll be disbanded by the time we get the set. 

I know this is half serious, but knowing the timelines behind mech groupbuys, this is probably going to be true. lmao

I know less than nothing about k-pop, but I suspect they've got a while left - wikipedia suggests they've only just released their first domestic album. Interesting that they released in Japan first in 2018.

[trn4mr]

Are there any updates on this set? Would love to see it come back

by the time this GMK set gets going again... then they'll be disbanded by the time we get the set. 

I know this is half serious, but knowing the timelines behind mech groupbuys, this is probably going to be true. lmao

I know less than nothing about k-pop, but I suspect they've got a while left - wikipedia suggests they've only just released their first domestic album. Interesting that they released in Japan first in 2018.

Actually, Blackpink debuted in 2016 so it'd be their 4th year anniversary this year. Fans have been pretty critical about the management of the group and how they haven't released a lot of songs and albums in the 4 years since they've been around and their first full album is finally coming in October this year. There is a sort of "7-year curse" in the kpop industry because a lot of groups tend to not make it past 7 years or disband earlier so it can be hard to say. Haha.

I'm already starting to look for alternative keycaps that'll get me the black and pink colour scheme and the GMK Pono seems like a good alternative but no Hangul. I have a feeling I probably won't need this set anymore if (and when) it comes back.

[aadk5]

Hope this comes back before Blackpink finishes their regular 3 year hiatus

[djmantis]

Still hoping this comes back. Olivia Dark and Pink on Navy are close but not the same!

[Ravenoxidal]

Still hoping this comes back. Olivia Dark and Pink on Navy are close but not the same!

Agreed! The colors of this set is great! And the hangul legends is a must as well. Hoping to see this set running soon!

[ngud]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001947823858.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.40aa8951vChrea&algo_pvid=0f04ae5f-88d1-4b25-a2d9-ac1f0b9346f8&algo_expid=0f04ae5f-88d1-4b25-a2d9-ac1f0b9346f8-2&btsid=0b0a556316107602623698245e22c7&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

Jesus the rep makers in China are ruthless

[question Mark]

Wow, but those colors are really off...

[aadk5]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001947823858.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.40aa8951vChrea&algo_pvid=0f04ae5f-88d1-4b25-a2d9-ac1f0b9346f8&algo_expid=0f04ae5f-88d1-4b25-a2d9-ac1f0b9346f8-2&btsid=0b0a556316107602623698245e22c7&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

Jesus the rep makers in China are ruthless

Wow, but those colors are really off...

The sublegends are also in Japanese instead of Korean...