Warning about Counterfeit Products: Illegal Copies (Recasts) and Fraudulent Modifications

＜不正商品［海賊版複製（リキャスト・デッドコピー）品・不正改造品］についてのご注意＞

Warning about Counterfeit Products: Illegal Copies (Recasts) and Fraudulent Modifications

Please be careful of counterfeit products, including illegal copies (recasts) and fraudulent modifications of VOLKS Inc./Zoukei-Mura resin-cast kits.

We have found that there are counterfeit VOLKS Inc./Zoukei-Mura resin kits being sold under misleading terms such as “foreign-made replica” or “used product.” These counterfeit products are being sold worldwide, and we have received numerous reports of illegal copies for sale on a variety of different webstores and auction websites.

Production of these counterfeit products is illegal. They are lower-quality and less accurate than the original, genuine products. Unlike genuine products, counterfeits do not go through the process of gaining approval from and properly compensating the license holders, original artists, and creative team behind copyrighted characters. These unapproved counterfeit products therefore damage the image of these characters and threaten the very existence of the character-based goods industry.

Please be very cautious of the following products.

• 　・Be wary of any products sold online or elsewhere as “foreign-made replicas.” We manufacture all resin-cast VOLKS Inc./Zoukei-Mura products at our studio in Japan. We do not produce any resin products outside of Japan, and therefore foreign-made versions are all counterfeit (illegal copies/recasts).

• 　・Be wary of any products sold online or elsewhere using images without permission, including official VOLKS Inc. product images and individuals’ personal photographs to disguise the product as genuine. These products may be counterfeits (illegal copies/recasts).
  We have also confirmed that some counterfeits are sold with accompanying items in addition to the recast product.

• 　・Examples of accompanying items: packaging, instruction manual, etc.
  ※There are some cases in which the accompanying items are genuine but the product itself is a counterfeit.

The pricing and images used to market the product cannot guarantee that the product is genuine.

Please be careful about purchasing from sources other than directly from VOLKS Inc. or our official overseas Friend Shops.

Q：What is “fraudulent modification”? How is it different from “illegal copies/recasts”?

A： “fraudulent modification” is a VOLKS Inc./Zoukei-Mura resin-cast product that has been slightly modified (altered parts, molding, structure, etc.) to avoid classification as an illegal copy and then recast for sale.

The matter of protecting the copyright of three-dimensional products is a very serious and difficult issue, now more than ever. It is impossible to continue our business producing sculpted works without the conscientious actions of our understanding customers.

Resin-cast kits and the resin figure culture in Japan originally began to provide figures of, and bring attention to, more niche characters and titles in small quantities for passionate fans. Resin-cast kits play a small but vital part in the modeling and hobby world.

The close cooperation between license holders and sculptors (both individual sculptors and companies including VOLKS Inc./Zoukei-Mura) is what makes resin-cast products possible. These products are also sustained by the passion and support of hobby fans worldwide. The actions of a few heartless individuals not only damage the creators, but also deeply harm the cultural value of resin kits.

Even if you find something that looks identical to a VOLKS Inc./Zoukei-Mura resin-cast product, please do not thoughtlessly purchase it just because you think “might as well get the identical version” or “the seller claims it is an ‘original work’ so it must be fine.” Purchasing counterfeit items gives profit to illegal businesses and prevents the longevity and future development of hobby culture.

VOLKS Inc./Zoukei-Mura resin-cast products are available for purchase directly from all VOLKS Inc. stores, the VOLKS Inc. Online Store, and official overseas Friend Shops, except for some special limited products.

We offer absolutely no warranty for counterfeit products.

In the case that a product is sent to VOLKS Inc. for customer service and then discovered to be a counterfeit product, the customer will be charged for the postal fee and any other costs for returning the product to the customer.

< Contacting VOLKS Inc. about Counterfeit Products>

If you discover counterfeits of VOLKS Inc./Zoukei-Mura resin-cast products, please contact us at the email address below.

【To: Hobby Dept., VOLKS Inc. 】

Email: imos＠volks.co.jp (for outside of Japan)
webmaster@volks.co.jp (for within Japan)

Please note that we cannot reply to any requests to verify if a specific product is genuine or not, nor can we reply to all individual messages about counterfeit products.

If we discover the sale of counterfeit products, we will consult with our legal advisors and take the necessary legal measures. If the counterfeits are being sold on an online marketplace, we will immediately contact the website to remove the products.

In addition, we will continue to warn our customers as much as possible about this issue and strive to prevent the spread of more damage.