18 replies to this topic

[muddd001]

It's just an inquirie and thought I might as well try to get some more penny's for the mini, but how many of you would buy A5 greeting cards with a 4x6in picture on of a mini and I would personalize the card and picture if requested.

A couple of the pictures I would use are attached, but I have a BIG archive of Mini photos that I have taken at various Mini Shows.

[muddd001]

Also How much would you pay for one?

[maggies_minder]

to be perfectly honest, if i wanted a personal one, id do it myself using a pic of my car (other peoples minis arent important to me). again if someone in my family was buying one for me, they'd either use a photo of my car and either make it themselves or my funkypigeon/moonpig etc.

or just buy a generic one from a shop for a quid (extended family, close family would put in more effort).

[Dan]

Be very careful how you go about this and what you show. Just about everything relating to the Mini, including its silhouette and apearance, is trademarked and the property of BMW. Even though you would own the copyright on the photos that you took, it's still their trademark. They fairly regularly threaten legal action against all sorts of small traders for this sort of thing.

[maggies_minder]

Be very careful how you go about this and what you show. Just about everything relating to the Mini, including its silhouette and apearance, is trademarked and the property of BMW. Even though you would own the copyright on the photos that you took, it's still their trademark. They fairly regularly threaten legal action against all sorts of small traders for this sort of thing.

they really are such a lovely bunch.

[muddd001]

Thanks for the help and warning Anyone got any ideas I can do like this to earn a few extra quid towards my mini?

[Bungle]

i was wondering why you were toasting your mini

[Ethel]

You might do as well, or better, selling in a market that isn't directly Mini, but Mini related; something retro or British themed - you could also do tee shirts, or similar, to increase the value: bigger pie = more profit, while keeping the margins viable. If you're in the UK that gives you an edge to produce & flog Brit themed goodies in foreign markets, how's your Japanese!

Twentieth Century Fox recently got their arses kicked trying to stop the original designer flogging Starwars Stormtrooper helmets, and BMW have claimed to now be more relaxed over the Mini brand, I doubt they'd risk chasing you unless you represented a real threat or were too blatant - don't hammer the Mini angle too hard or use their logos.

[JustSteve]

Be very careful how you go about this and what you show. Just about everything relating to the Mini, including its silhouette and apearance, is trademarked and the property of BMW. Even though you would own the copyright on the photos that you took, it's still their trademark. They fairly regularly threaten legal action against all sorts of small traders for this sort of thing.

Sorry to go off-topic slightly, but surely the use of the 'mini' brand on t-shirts and cards etc. is a good thing for BMW?!

The OP is hardly going to stop sales of the bini by selling a few cards, but maybe somebody might see it and think ''hmm, I'd quite fancy a mini, but a NEW one.''

[Ethel]

It might be, but it's even better if you pay them a royalty and they have some control over the quality of the products & service.

London Transport won't get a royalty every time one of their buses appears on a postcard, but they'd have a case if you sold it as a souvenir of London Transport.

[mab01uk]

Be very careful how you go about this and what you show. Just about everything relating to the Mini, including its silhouette and apearance, is trademarked and the property of BMW. Even though you would own the copyright on the photos that you took, it's still their trademark. They fairly regularly threaten legal action against all sorts of small traders for this sort of thing.

they really are such a lovely bunch.

BMH (British Motor Heritage) protect the classic Mini brand for BMW:
http://www.bmh-ltd.com/trademarks.htm

All companies big and small have to constantly protect their unique products and trademarks these days to stay in business........or this can happen:

A total of 22 fake Apple stores have been uncovered in one Chinese city.
An early search found five fake stores, two of which were shut down for trading without a licence.
Now, according to Chinese trade officials, 22 have been found unlawfully using Apple's brand and logo.
http://www.bbc.co.uk...nology-14503724

Edited by mab01uk, 06 September 2011 - 12:06 PM.

[Dan]

Sorry to go off-topic slightly, but surely the use of the 'mini' brand on t-shirts and cards etc. is a good thing for BMW?!

The OP is hardly going to stop sales of the bini by selling a few cards, but maybe somebody might see it and think ''hmm, I'd quite fancy a mini, but a NEW one.''

I'll let you explain that to our member who was essentially driven out of business and almost sued for everything they own by BMW for making Mini shaped soft toys and selling them at Mini shows then.

If someone owns a trademark, then only they are allowed to profit from that trademark in any way. The trademark doesn't only cover car sales, it covers everything related to that trademark. BMW sell / giveaway post cards with the image of Mini on in order to promote sales of MINI, anyone selling other Mini cards is in theory depriving BMW of those sales that they by rights should be profiting from. These sales are only good for BMW if they promote BMWs idea of the current MINI brand, but in order to be able to protect their product from any attack that might not be so good for them they have to persue all infringements. They can't pick and choose who they wish to leave alone to break their copyrights and who they wish to persue, they would get laughed out of court. The reason BMW had to be so aggressive with protection when they took over the brand was because Leyland and Rover had been so slack for so many decades and let everyone get away with it. Hopefully they have relaxed a bit now as said above but it is a risk. There is a list of the trademarks they own in the FAQ section, check the list to see if you think your photos will be acceptable.

[mab01uk]

When Monty Watkins interviewed the chief of BMH a couple of years back for Miniworld, he said they would consider licensing certain items with only a small 'peppercorn' type fee under BMW's new more relaxed policy for classic Mini products ........as long as the seller consulted them for the relevant permissions and approvals first. However this would not of course apply to blatent copies of BMH classic Mini products or parts made with inferior quality, safety, materials or testing standards..........as is sometimes seen on sale at the shows or on ebay!

[E.L.M.O]

No offense but its not the sort of thing I would buy. .......but I know it is the sort of thing that family members would buy me "thinking" its what I would want!
And it would go in the box with the ties, cufflinks and socks with minis on them that people have bought me over the years!

[muddd001]

Thanks for all the usefull information, looks like I will have to find another way to get some more cash for the mini.