For even more information on this subjects, please be sure to read the forum topic "New and trying to get started".

I think there is a big difference between being inspired by and just ripping someone off. I don't think the whole custom blank vinyl toy argument of Marshall's is totally accurate. It's one thing if you do a custom for Fewis of there readymech model if they ask you to. That's more like a vinyl toy situation. What seems to be happening is more like me taking a dunny and making a blank toy that is exactly the same and call it a "Matty". It's even worse in paper toys though cuz you dont have to imitate someone you can just take a pdf that some one else has made into illustrator and just steal it out right, you don't even have to be a gifted mimic. . If you've ever done a "command C" on some ones papertoy and then pasted it into your own model thats not being inspired it's just stealing. I think this is a very serious problem that effects papertoys even more than vinyl or plush toys (not that all "designer toys" aren't getting totally derivative.) cuz it's so easy.
I think that if you are trying to create a paper toy start from a character you have drawn not from a bunch of shapes that you like from other papertoys and try to twist them enough that you can convince yourself it's changed enough to not be stealing. Start with paper start gluing and pasting and cutting, find your own shapes organically. I think if you start like that and are trying to achieve your character than you'll end up with something original.
I've built a lot of paper toys from other designers and I'm not saying that I haven't been influenced by them .
Here is an example from my work that I think is relevant.
I did a custom Hedcase for Nicebunny. It was the Bushmeat the monkey. I used the head shape for the body and the body shape for the head. Of course this was not stealing I was asked to do a custom and I never distributed the model on my own site. But that shape I made for the body and head which was basically a four sided cone on top of a box inspired my next paper toy Wild Urp. Look at those two papertoys(Wild Urp and Bushmeat Headcase).
Youll see a similar shape But mine was made out of one piece, had different proportions and had points on the top for the hat a bill for the hat an inset mouth and boots and the shape was applied in a totally different way than in Nicebunny's headcase models. I don't think anyone could argue I stole that concept from Nicebunny. But I was inspired by his work. Set my "Wild Urp" next to a Nicebunnys Hedkase and I'm not even sure you would know that one inspired the other unless i told you. Infact I can say the inset mouth was inspired by Ken Munks Antlor series. I had always just created "postive" shapes in my toys. When I seen his inset cone eyes I loved the idea of creating negitive space with the printed side of a paper toy and thats what inspired the inset mouth.Thats the kind of back and forth insperation we need to foster in the paper toy community not just rampant theft. Look, I didn't invent the cube or the cone or even the "glue tab A to spot A concept" which I use in my work, but using some one else's exact shoe shape for your shoe shape is bad whodo. We deserve better and we need to do better if we want to present papertoys as an art form
Okay I'll get off my soapbox.

Wow, what a good discussion.
A while ago I wanted to contribute to this discussion, but I think everything is already said...

Is someone making a summary of this discussion?