Hello fellow Skyrim fans. Loving the game. Just wanted to let the proper folks know that the Devs/Publishers should be checking Ebay and Google searching where trademark protected Skyrim / Elder Scrolls shirts are being sold at over $10, sometimes $20 each. Some sellers have sold hundreds so far. Doesn't this represent a lost revenue stream for Bethesda? Does Bethesda actually have an online store where game related merchandise is sold? If it were my dollar, I'd be on top of it right away!

By some theories yes. By others...its made up for by calling more attention to the game. No way to prove anything either way.

Is it worth it for BGS to pursue? Maybe. Will they? Almost certainly.

Proving it is easy. Bethesda would have a listed of registered trademark holders (people or companies with permission to sell their trademark). If not on the list they can be shut down, at least in the USA. I do see your point about "free advertising" though. I guess it probably makes sense to go after the "big fish".

I meant proving whether the total net is positive or negative. The game costs a lot more than a t-shirt does, and has a smaller per-unit production cost.

Its similar to how the RIAA claims that copying music represents a lost sale for record labels, when a fair bit of data suggests that loosening up on that actually improves sales. Once again, something that is difficult to prove conclusively either way.

No not at all. Someone else's merchandise can be sold on eBay? So i wouldn't be able to sell my skyrim on ebay? I bought it from Bethesda, they made money.

Cheers

and that's what some game companies want done away with. Being able to resell games, why else do you think that skyrim is required to have steam? cause once acitivated it can't be activated by anyone else. (unless you can deactivate it)

Yes, you could sell your copy of Skyrim on eBay. That wouldn't be a problem. [talking about the non-pc versions]

However, if you start printing copies of your Skyrim and selling the copies on eBay, that would be a problem.

If a company is licensed to produce Skyrim merchandise, Bethesda did the licensing and wrote the contract. If someone is using Bethesda's copyrighted material to produce Skyrim merchandise, and they aren't licensed, it is a problem.