Gfk/supervws Fiasco.....

[silas]

Many of  you may have been following the \"Fake Germanfolks window car\" situation coming out of SuperVW Magazine in Franch.  For those of you unaware of the situation Ill give a brief summary. 

SuperVW featured a 1966 sedan in thier last magazine, adorned with a German Folks club window, however the car and owner are not in any way shape or form associated with the club.  We contacted SuperVW magazines representatives to voice our objections and were met with this response

\"I'l very disapointed about your e-mail !


I think if you want to become a famous brand like Coca Cola, Apple or Nike, you must protect your brand \"German Folks\" with an international copyright, like a big company !!!


Also you're just a VW club. Yes just a famous californian VW Club ! With somes peoples who loves and drives old VW air-cooled... Not a big and international company !
Of course you're cars are famous and popular for many other peoples who loves VW in the world, and of course somes car of your club are very nice and sometimes peoples want to do same, because for them it's a dream.
But it's not to do business. I think it's like an honor, for you ! The shit is never copy !!!!


Now if it's a real problem to be famous, let your VW in your garage, or ask a lawyer to protect your right. There is law, use them !


And of course if you don't want to see more VW from the German Folks in Super VW, I hope it will be not a problem for us, but just for you.
And we don't speak about that in next issue, because in France, many people think like us. And after that I'm not sure you will be so famous again !


Our dream, it's just to have a nice Volkswagen. Never forget that !!!! Not business, just nice VW's... !!!!


Julien-D. C.te\"

We feel that our club has, for all practical purpuses, been stolen from.  We, as a club, understand that there is nothing legaly that can be done, we are faced with the fact that, it is what it is at this point.  But as an influencial part of the VW community, and as a consumer, we would like to boycot the magazine and are looking for support.  We are not asking anyone to slander the magazine, we are not asking anyone to send hate mail.  But we are asking people who buy the magazine to think twice before doing so.  And anyone that understands and agrees with our situation to pass this along to at least one person and ask that person to pass it along and so on.  We understant that this may do nothing to them monitarily, but maybe public oppinion will be swayed.  What we are looking for from the magazine is a retraction of sorts.

So in short if you agree with us please support us.

here's the rest of the thread....

http://forums.lowlifevw.com/viewtopic.php?t=12138

just curious as to what everyones opinions about this are?

here's my $.02 and a for instance relating to the topic...i can wear a dvkk t-shirt because they are made available to the public. that doesnt mean i'm part of the club.....it just shows that i support and admire the club and can do so by wearing my shirt.

however, if i put the dvkk logo as my avatar and made a dvkk club sticker and put it on my car....i can imagine i'd be peppered with emails asking me to remove said avatar & sticker. and rightly so. i'm not a part of the club so why pretend that i am?

sound off.....

[Geoff]

Good points silas, Not sure what the right solution would be, I havent seen that issue and for that matter I'm not so good at french    I think it's ok IF they mention in the story that it's a \"tribute car\" otherwise is somewhat like stealing someones hard work........my .02$

[OUTKAST]

Read it on the Samba before they locked it
The French do ahve aword for it
POSEUR or in english Poser Loser get a life ,fake, Join a club
Most people admire clubs and if so intrested Join the club but to pretend is pretty lame not flattery
The french are messed up period
Just my 2 cents  

[Tom H.]

The French have some views that they hold dear that go against logic in the rest of the world. In business and looks like in hobbies, too.

I'll never go back to visit France again, but not because of a magazine I've never bought. Their food sux.

 

[Alp]

its a tough cal either way.  How many people have company logos/stickers on theirs cars from the parts used to build that car?  Some may look at it as a support type thing.  The attitude of the magazine person is worse then the guy with the sticker.  To protect your self,and your clubs, you should make one sticker for supporters and one for members.  How many Hells Angels support t's and stickers do you see locally?  They are smart with their promotions.  The members have specific artwork compared to the public.  There is a definite separation between the two.

[surgerypending]

I think its wrong...disrespectful actually! Some club members should visit a couple shows over there next year....razor blade scrapers would get those logos off in a hurry!
My 2 cents!

[el_flechador]

I havent seen the article either
Christ if just one of those dicks had got out of their garage , gone to walmart and got a rifle and put a bullet in George Bush then the rest of the world wouldnt be feeling like they had been stolen from.....Get a life
Its the guys car so he can do what he wants with it, he only has himself to pleaase
If he trys to say hes a club member and hes not then then that makes him a Dick but thats a different issue.
The french guy poking fun at the Yanks...well arent they just everyones whipping boy anyway, (seem to have the best of everything but seem to whinge about it anyway....
isnt immitation the sincerest form of flattery.......

well i wont be staying up late with a Hardon for this one

and relax

[egspot]

Does this all means that I can still wear all the T-Shirts I have from AirSpeed, DGLVK , and others from the events I have attended.  even if I have an old bug that LOOKS stock?

[silas]

Does this all means that I can still wear all the T-Shirts I have from AirSpeed, DGLVD, and others from the events I have attended.  even if I have an old bug that LOOKS stock?

who the hell are the dglvd?

airspeed sold shirts to be worn by whomever wanted to wear one. same thing with event t-shirts.

same thing with stickers from companies selling speed parts. they usually give them away for free/put one in the box with the part because it's a great advertising tool. it is made available to the public for a reason.

the fact of the matter is, is that the gfk (or dvkk or dkp or dglvk) have spent years building a solid base by hosting events, building killer cars, spending countless dollars, getting magazine coverage, etc.

to slap a sticker on your car and pretend to be a part of something you're not is just lame.

 

[egspot]

who the hell are the dglvd?

airspeed sold shirts to be worn by whomever wanted to wear one. same thing with event t-shirts.

same thing with stickers from companies selling speed parts. they usually give them away for free/put one in the box with the part because it's a great advertising tool. it is made available to the public for a reason.

the fact of the matter is, is that the gfk (or dvkk or dkp or dglvk) have spent years building a solid base by hosting events, building killer cars, spending countless dollars, getting magazine coverage, etc.

to slap a sticker on your car and pretend to be a part of something you're not is just lame.

No disrespect intended toward Gfk and its membership. It was a joke on my part.

The fact of the matter is that there will always be some \"wanabes\"  and not everyone has what it takes or is willing to comit to do the time.

[egspot]

who the hell are the dglvd?

 

I was trying not to mentioned a specific club. It has been change to DGLVK

 

[bwaz]

on the other hand... if you don't have wannabees, you'll never grow your club. Let them think they belong, and someday they just might. Make it so exclusive and you alienate those who think it might be some fun to join. If you have a benchmark to be an official member, so be it, but then offer associate membership to grow the interest in the club. You don't have to own a baseball to play the game...

[hellgti]

i don't understand why the're asking everyone to boycot the magazine.  All they did was feature an article on a car.  I'm sure the email response they got from SuperVW had a lot lost in the translation.  Shouldn't they be emailing the owner of the car?

[Cameron]

I have a computer with Photoshop, and a printer.

I'm going to print my own stickers and become a member of DGLVK.

While I'm at it, maybe I'll become a DKP member too.

[Chris W]

Cameron how good is your printer.?I want to be in the \"FBI club\", could you print me up a ID badge please.  

Some people just don't think things out. Frenchie should have said to himself \"is this a real good idea?\" he did not, and he got smacked in the back of the head.

[Chris]

insert rolling eyes here.

ok just watch this.

http://www.jokeroo.com/funnyvideos/japanes..._up_pranks.html

[silas]

I was trying not to mentioned a specific club. It has been change to DGLVK

i knew what you were trying to say...hence the   ....... B)

on the other hand... if you don't have wannabees, you'll never grow your club. Let them think they belong, and someday they just might. Make it so exclusive and you alienate those who think it might be some fun to join. If you have a benchmark to be an official member, so be it, but then offer associate membership to grow the interest in the club. You don't have to own a baseball to play the game...

i think i kind of understand what you're saying...but i dont agree.

if a club wants to maintain a certain criteria then that is the clubs decision. i dont really see it as exclusive or elitism...i just see it as what that club wants to do. if someone gets all bent out of shape because they think the club is \"stuck up\" because they cant become a member...i think that person has a problem...not the club.

i've thought about starting a club and if it happened, i'd probably want to maintain a certain criteria. too little and it's boring...too much and it's saturated.

i don't understand why the're asking everyone to boycot the magazine. All they did was feature an article on a car. I'm sure the email response they got from SuperVW had a lot lost in the translation. Shouldn't they be emailing the owner of the car?

i think their problem was that they know the photographer and the photographer knows that the car isnt a club car....yet he took pics and submitted them for the feature. from what i've heard they've emailed the owner.

i agree that the language barrier has alot to do with it. and the fact that they probably do things differently over in france...just like we do things differently here.

for what it's worth...i just find the whole scenario amusing and figured it would make for a good converstion over here. i am in no way affiliated with the gfk....i just respect the cars they build and the history they have. B)  

[Cameron]

Cameron how good is your printer.?I want to be in the "FBI club", could you print me up a ID badge please.  

 

Hi Chris,

My printer is an old POS. But most things I print look good, from a distance. If you looked at the photos in question, any club sticker I printed would be as good as the one in those photos.  

[Billyisgr8]

So what happens when sombody buys a side window that has a bunch of old vintage stickers on it, and one of the stickers is a club sticker?  

Kevin

[Tom H.]

So what happens when sombody buys a side window that has a bunch of old vintage stickers on it, and one of the stickers is a club sticker?  

Kevin

install the window and be instantly kool  :mullet:

and raise some havoc

   

[thrasherbill]

[Matt]

We have a winner!!!