obviosly it isnt any fun to be tricked by a realistic fake, but funny fakes are funny and if you see fakes you don't think "hmm, shall I buy genuine cards for my deck or funny fakes"?, your either looking for one product or the other, so for that reason I do not think buying funny fakes on purpose is harming pokemon...
Fanmade funny fakes are usually done in a manner that doesn't resemble a "real" card and are not distributed as anything but what they are. Even hilariously bad fakes, however, that are mass marketed and sold in boosters and booster boxes can and has been used to deceive people. Remember, the online PTCG community doesn't buy the bulk of Pokemon TCG product; a lot of it ends up being parents and similar types buying for their kids... and those people just don't know the game.
You also need to remember that just because experienced players find them funny, the intent of manufacturing them
is to defraud. Just because the one is a bit inept at the crime doesn't mean they weren't attempting (when buyers can tell the difference) or actually committing the crime (when buyers looking for real product are fooled).
...and as for being illegal well so is plenty of stuff we all do, like making a copy of a cd for your friend.
Please tell me that is an attempt at trolling. Seriously, I know some people use this kind of failed logic, but for your own sake I hope it was some kind of joke like playing devil's advocate (which for the record is pretty marvelous if it is, since it does seem sincere, and it is a good point to make).
Laws are not to be made or enforced based on what the average person does or does not do, or what can easily be enforced. Laws are to reflect what is right or wrong, "legislating morality" as it were. There may be much disagreement about whether or not a law is just, but those are the basic guidelines.
While some will try to base laws on what the average person does or does not do, this tends to ignore reason. Many of us have stolen before, but not everyone has robbed a bank. In your above example you advocate massive counterfeiting of product based on a person pirating a single CD, so I am still within the confines of your argument. Even keeping it strictly as a matter of same act versus same act, should anyone guilty of a specific act not be allowed to acknowledge it was a crime and regret it?
The idea that an unenforceable law shouldn't be made can often come across as a bit more realistic, but what law is universally enforceable? Unfortunately, many crimes are never solved (including many serious crimes), and "petty" crimes are so rampant that you can't hope to stop all perpetrators. Usually when someone brings up this point, they really need to focus on a more serious issue like individual freedoms (which actually would be a valid reason for a questionable act to be legal).
...hurting the US economy? well its benefiting the chinese economy.
Actually it isn't. It makes some people money, but even if it were fully government sanctioned counterfeiting, it is still hurting the Chinese economy because
it is theft. It isn't legitimate or even
maintainable commerce. You have short term gain but long term problems. The resources going into making fake cards could be used for something real. You have someone making money by outright deceit and theft of intellectual property. If there was no enforcement of laws against this practice (let alone it universally being "legalized" by governments), then odds are the Pokemon TCG would just fold. Counterfeiters can easily undersell official distributors.
fakes that are supposed to make you think they are real are a different matter, they really are taking money from pokemon and wasting peoples money. Im genuinely suprised by peoples furious reaction to fakes, when they arent fooling people they are not harming people and everybody seems to be getting carried away with their rage.
How do you know the manufacturers intent? Given that this was a large operation spread out across several brands, assuming that they were "for fun" flies in the face of logic. The simplest answer that fits all the evidence is that these were people making fake product to
defraud buyers into thinking they were purchasing real product, or to sell to distributors who were willing to
defraud buyers into thinking they (the buyers) were purchasing fake product.
This isn't someone designing a fake card then paying someone to print some copies to give to friends and family. This isn't even someone designing fake but functional cards and distributing them while being careful to point out that they are just that; fake and for fun. This is counterfeiting, and the only reason results are "funny" is because we have twice packaged product (booster boxes and boosters) and in an industry where the true consumer who uses the product is often not the one purchasing, and is often a child young enough to not spot obvious fakes.
thats not entirely true.(cant do quotes)
one post: You have to understand, a good chunk (if not the majority) of these counterfeit cards are not photocopied replicas of actual cards. They're sloppily thrown together, photoshopped pictures, with random attacks that often have nothing to do with the Pokémon. I've had a Weezing that did Hydro Pump.
the next: ^ you buy fake cards on purpose, though. I don't care what you do with them, you're advocating and openly supporting an illegal act that damages the game. It's selfish and irresponsible.
How the hell can you sit here and defend that position like WE'RE the unreasonable ones... must be trolling.
Strong screen name to post content correlation.
Just curious, why can't you do quotes? Can you at least better offset what you are quoting, like with "quotation marks"? If you can't you can't, but it would help if you could denote them in a clearer manner.
Some people, when they are referring to "funny fakes" are referring to fanmade (or at least intentional spoof) cards. Otherwise, I agree with calling out those who are fine with incompetent counterfeit cards but not subtle ones; crime is still crime.
