Green Stuff World Trademark Enforcement Incident

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In late 2019 and early 2020, the Spanish hobby company Green Stuff World (GSW) initiated a trademark enforcement action on YouTube that resulted in the temporary removal of a product review from the channel Sword 'n' Steele. The incident sparked a broader discussion regarding the use of copyright enforcement tools to protect trademarks and the rights of independent reviewers under "fair use" or "fair dealings" doctrines.

Background

The incident involves a conflict over the terminology used for hobby paints that change color depending on the angle of light. The Spanish company Green Stuff World (GSW) holds a registered trademark in Spain for the term "Color Shift". In late 2019, the paint manufacturer Vallejo released a similar product line initially marketed as "Color Shifting" paints. At the time of the incident, Vallejo was in the process of rebranding this line to "The Shifters" to avoid legal conflicts with GSW. Naomi, the creator of the YouTube hobby channel Sword 'n' Steele, had purchased the Vallejo paints and produced a video review comparing the different sets.

[Incident]

On December 30, 2019, Naomi discovered that her review of the Vallejo paint line had been removed from YouTube due to a copyright infringement claim filed by Green Stuff World. While GSW suggested the removal was an automated result of their legal department flagging "fraudulent use" of the term, YouTube's notification system confirmed the video was "manually detected," meaning GSW had to specifically target the content. This action resulted in a copyright strike against the Sword 'n' Steele channel, causing a loss of ad revenue and potentially threatening the channel's existence under YouTube's "three-strike" policy. Furthermore, GSW advised the creator that she should not show the competitor's product packaging in her videos, citing a "legal sentence" that allegedly forbade such displays.

[Company]'s response

Green Stuff World responded to the creator's inquiries within 16 minutes, stating that while they respected her work, they could not allow a competitor brand to use their trademarked name. Following a significant public backlash, GSW retracted the copyright claim and issued a public apology within 48 hours. The company also offered to collaborate with the creator and provide products for future reviews. For their part, Vallejo issued a public apology for their "minor involvement" in the situation. Alex Vallejo contacted the creator directly to offer support and provided new "Shifters" branded paints to replace the original versions.

Lawsuit

Direct information regarding formal lawsuits is limited to statements made by the involved parties during the incident. Green Stuff World claimed the existence of a "legal sentence" that restricted the use and display of the contested terms by competitors. Additionally, Vallejo representatives indicated to the affected creator that there was an ongoing "court situation" between Green Stuff World and Vallejo regarding the trademark dispute.

Consumer response

The community response was immediate and largely critical of Green Stuff World’s methods. Critics on hobby forums and social media characterized the manual strike as an "abuse of the system" and "trademark bullying," arguing that a copyright strike was a disproportionately harsh tool for a trademark dispute. Hundreds of emails were sent to GSW by the hobby community in support of Sword 'n' Steele. Conversely, some community members argued that GSW was legally obligated to defend its registered trademark to prevent it from becoming a generic term, though they often criticized the "clumsy" execution of the enforcement. Naomi asserted her rights as a reviewer under the principles of "fair use" (US) or "fair dealings" (Canada), which allow for the display of products for educational and review purposes.

References

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Consumer Rights Wiki — Anti-Consumer Practices Database: https://consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
Consumer Rights Wiki: Editorial guidelines: https://consumerrights.wiki/index.php?title=Consumer_Rights_Wiki:Editorial_guidelines
Greenstuff World Vs Sword N Steele – OnTableTop: https://www.ontabletop.com/forums/topic/greenstuff-world-vs-sword-n-steele/
Shifters Review! (YouTube - Sword 'n' Steele): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvU6YpU8l-Y
The Final Word on My Copyright Strike (YouTube - Sword 'n' Steele): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC8Z6zNn1V4
Youtube Took Down My Vallejo Video (YouTube - Sword 'n' Steele): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD_D_M-Y4zU

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