UK government falls foul of Lego...

[grum64]

Thought this might be of interest...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2651199/Government-row-LEGO-uses-figures-bizarre-website-persuading-Scots-reject-Independence.html

[Mutant Orc]

Ha ha! The examples didn't even look that brilliant. White Rudolf?? and that petrol pump was huge!!!

At least it wasn't clone brand...

[simonjedi]

If lego is willing to work with the Daily Mail, I don't see why working with the tories would be any different.

I do like how half arsed number 6 is it's like they ran out of time and/or bricks and just put a few 2x2s on there and just went .. "That'll do"

Then went down the pub.

[BirdOPrey5]

I think it's OK they put a disclaimer that the images had nothing to do with the official position of the Lego group... but I don't like that Lego tries to tell people how they can or can't use Lego bricks in pictures/advertising. I bought the bricks, they are mine to do with what I please. If I was an artist and I bought clay from someone, would that someone be able to tell me I'm not allowed to sculpt something specific with their clay. "No Catholic saints can be sculpted with this clay" or if I sold real bricks, the kind you build houses with, could I stipulate "Nothing you build with these bricks can be used in advertising a political party in the future." Of course not. Lego bricks are raw materials and they should have no claim over how they get used than any other producer of raw materials.

[eurotrash]

Lazy journalism at it's laziest. And I'm speaking as an lazy ex-journalist.

[Transparency for Effect]

Edited June 10, 2014 by Transparency for Effect

[Faefrost]

I think it's OK they put a disclaimer that the images had nothing to do with the official position of the Lego group... but I don't like that Lego tries to tell people how they can or can't use Lego bricks in pictures/advertising. I bought the bricks, they are mine to do with what I please. If I was an artist and I bought clay from someone, would that someone be able to tell me I'm not allowed to sculpt something specific with their clay. "No Catholic saints can be sculpted with this clay" or if I sold real bricks, the kind you build houses with, could I stipulate "Nothing you build with these bricks can be used in advertising a political party in the future." Of course not. Lego bricks are raw materials and they should have no claim over how they get used than any other producer of raw materials.

It's a little more complex than that. In this case they are using the Lego Trademarked Product to state the message or endorse the political position. It implies advocacy where there is none, and is a huge nono. Those creating political messages are well aware that they cannot do this sort of thing. Political advertising generally has to be very very careful to scrub the set of any clearly recognizable retail or commercial products.

It can at times be a subtle thing. For example you can show the political candidate getting out of a Buick. But you can't have the Buick being the thing delivering the message. This one was way over the line and whoever made this should have known better.

[BirdOPrey5]

It's a little more complex than that. In this case they are using the Lego Trademarked Product to state the message or endorse the political position. It implies advocacy where there is none, and is a huge nono. Those creating political messages are well aware that they cannot do this sort of thing. Political advertising generally has to be very very careful to scrub the set of any clearly recognizable retail or commercial products.

It can at times be a subtle thing. For example you can show the political candidate getting out of a Buick. But you can't have the Buick being the thing delivering the message. This one was way over the line and whoever made this should have known better.

I disagree. Lego does not get to tell me what I can or can't build with their bricks. They also can't tell me I can't take a picture of my creations. Their product is intended for people to build things, custom things, with. Their red "Lego" logo trademark isn't being used in these photos- it's not my fault people wrongly assume use of Lego bricks in an image implies something it doesn't- I would never think that just because I saw Lego being used to build something it implied the Lego company was behind it. The addition of a specific line of text explaining it is not endorsed by Lego to remove all doubt is more than fair.

[Mr Man]

Well that pump looks bad. No wonder TLG didn't want to be associated with them .

Edited June 11, 2014 by Mr Man

[Faefrost]

I disagree. Lego does not get to tell me what I can or can't build with their bricks. They also can't tell me I can't take a picture of my creations. Their product is intended for people to build things, custom things, with. Their red "Lego" logo trademark isn't being used in these photos- it's not my fault people wrongly assume use of Lego bricks in an image implies something it doesn't- I would never think that just because I saw Lego being used to build something it implied the Lego company was behind it. The addition of a specific line of text explaining it is not endorsed by Lego to remove all doubt is more than fair.

Whether you agree or disagree does not matter. Simply purchasing something does not give you the right to use it as a comercial endorsement or to imply an endorsement of another product or political cause. It's not a subject one can have an opinion on. While the lines may seem blurry to lay people this was truly an atrocious mistake on the part of whoever cooked up this ad campaign.

You can buy a Wolverine Action Figure. You can pose him however you want. You can take pictures of him and even share them with others on the internet. Heck it's generally ok if it were to be used briefly in the background for your advertising. Say sitting on a desk or being played with by a child. But you can't use the doll as the mascot for your political or commercial campaign. You can't make someone else's product the focus or spokesperson of yours. You've bought the physical product. You have not bought the image of the product for commercial purposes.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Faefrost

[williejm]

Irrespective of my politics on this, the whole thing was just cringeworthy. Perhaps Lego wanting to distance themselves from it was just a matter of taste ...

Besides - what would the Highland Battler from CMF series 5 have to say about it all? ;)

[Wodanis]

In this case they are using the Lego Trademarked Product to state the message or endorse the political position...You can't make someone else's product the focus or spokesperson of yours. You've bought the physical product. You have not bought the image of the product for commercial purposes.

I agree with Faefrost on this, as an artist myself I understand how Lego can be used as a medium. However that wasn't how they were using Lego products. Either way it was in bad taste for government to do it. Lego is quite popular so I understand the appeal of trying to use it to have people listen.