What are some non-copyrighted items?

bigcasey123

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Ok so i'm looking to sell more on my ebay and i was just about to start selling iphone chargers until i saw many articles that stated apple was suing ebay sellers over iphone accessories...now i really don't want to take a chance even thought selling a hundred most likely wouldn't get me in trouble (people sell tens of thousands on there and they're still in business) but i just don't want the headaches. Right now i'm only selling acne extractors and those don't have a brand of any sort so it's not copyrighted but i can only make a couple hundred a month from them and i need a little more then that. Do you guys know any non-copyrighted products?
 
Not to be a buzz kill but I don't think that anyone making decent money off a product is going to come out and tell you here publicly. Also can you give a source on apple sueing ebay sellers? Sounds interesting.
 
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It isn't copyright, it is using a Trademark that will get you into trouble.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark

Unbranded/generic goods should be fine as long as you don't try to claim they are authorised or licensed by another company.

If you want to sell Apple accessories then make sure they DO NOT have the Apple Logo or any other Trademark.

eg If you want to sell iPhone covers then market them as Mobile Phone Covers suitable for iPhone NOT as Apple iPhone Covers
 
Those two links appear to show that Apple are suing people/companies for allegedly selling fake Apple products or products that are using the Apple logo or name to sell.

I am not sure if they have a case if for example you listed a wall charger that could recharge an Ipad or other Apple product, you can buy universal chargers in shops and online which are capable of recharging numerous different items and yet there is no complaint about that.

The trouble with the likes of Apple is they have gotten so big they can afford to bully everyone, the outright fakes I can understand but other companies producing generic items that can also be used with Apple products should be allowed as long as they aren't trading on the Apple name, but that is in an ideal world I suppose.

I am referring to the links from bigcasey123
 
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So basically i should be fine if i just put "compatible with iphone 4"? since i'm not claiming it's an apple product but does work with apple merchandise?
 
So basically i should be fine if i just put "compatible with iphone 4"? since i'm not claiming it's an apple product but does work with apple merchandise?


Yes, In my opinion you will be fine as long as it doesn't have the Apple Logo or any other Trademarks.
 
Well there lies the problem, Apple are trying to (and have pretty much succeeded) corner the market by jumping on anyone selling or making anything that could be used with their products that they have not been licenced, licenced in this case means paying Apple a small fortune for the privilege.
 
This is the way it works, you cannot sell anything that is branded in the same way as the brand name.

If it looks SIMILAR (not identical) and has no branding, it is considered a clone.

ou can sell clones legally anywhere, you just ave to make sure you do not say it is an Iphone (or whatever the brand you are dealing with).

Think of it this way, when you go into a cell phone store to get a charger, you can buy the Samsung one, or another one that will work with Samsung, but is made by Taeku-Yammioto.

Replicas are illegal because they have branding that is illegal for you to use without permission from the brand manufacturer.

Clones are legal, because they have no branding, and you have permission to sell them from the clone manufacturer.

if you sell your product as an Iphone case, it is illegal. If you sell them as Iphone compatible cases, you are clear.


Those two links appear to show that Apple are suing people/companies for allegedly selling fake Apple products or products that are using the Apple logo or name to sell.

I am not sure if they have a case if for example you listed a wall charger that could recharge an Ipad or other Apple product, you can buy universal chargers in shops and online which are capable of recharging numerous different items and yet there is no complaint about that.

The trouble with the likes of Apple is they have gotten so big they can afford to bully everyone, the outright fakes I can understand but other companies producing generic items that can also be used with Apple products should be allowed as long as they aren't trading on the Apple name, but that is in an ideal world I suppose.

I am referring to the links from bigcasey123
 
Yes Techxan that is what we would all presume but Apple do tend to make up their own rules sometimes although to be honest I have often wondered if some of their lawsuits have been just to create cheap publicity for themselves.
 
It seems that Apple is the only company suing over chargers, cases, etc....so i'm just gonna stay away from apple products and focus on Samsung, Motorola, etc. plenty of non-greedy companies out there that don't care about 3 dollar chargers.
 
I do believe the only people they are suing is people selling counterfeits on eBay. As long as they are
non-branded charges it should not be an issue.
 
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