Quote - Fair enough.  Well, I think I'm out of steam here. 

If I accomplished anything in this thread, I hope it's to alert hair-makers that we ARE watching, and we're taking notes.  How about something new/different? 

I think you raised a pertinent point:  The concept of "Protected Territories" and/or "Exclusive Distributor Rights" have to be seriously considered from the point of view of the customer base.

Quote - Also, the idea of "Exclusivity" and the ways in which people might technically get around the issue to exploit the rules...I think the respective sites might want to take a look at their loopholes and tighten them up....twofold results being: 1.  Protect the consumer and 2.  Prevent their market from being filled with redundant items or being laughible for calling something "Exclusive!" when examined, isn't.

I agree completely.

The problem, as I see it, from an "ethical" point of view is that the customer base for Poser items is WAY to small to subject them to these types of distribution concepts.  Originally, protecting product distribution rights by changing model numbers "worked" because there was actual "physical space" involved.  In order to be confronted with the exact same product, just repackaged, a consumer would have to move to another physical location, sometimes hundreds of miles away.  As mass distribution and huge chain stores have further impacted the market, the consumer base is frequently confronted with these issues.  How many times have you gone to one electronics store and seen a marketing sign which say's "Price Matching!"  Well, they price-match by model number...  and, since they're the only ones authorized to distribute that model number... uh.. there's not a lot of worries of someone coming in and demanding they match a price, is there? :)

But, there are no physical territories involved here except moving one's fingers to a different location on the keyboard.  So, the idea of  "repacking" products moves out of the realm of a solid business/distribution practice to one that has much more serious implications regarding the customer's perceptions.  Poser marketing sites don't give you hardly any information regarding the "Real" product - NO WIREFRAMES.  All you see is a derived image.  As a consumer, it is simply NOT possible to accurately judge whether or not a product is the "same" as a repackaged one.  That places more ethical responsibility, in my opinion, on the producer of the product .

You raised a good point and one I think producers need to be aware of.  Nobody wants to see a Poser marketplace flooded with repackaged goods.