I contribute 3D models to the 3D printing community on MakerWorld, the Bambu Lab model repository. One of the models that I uploaded was an iPad stand for thick cases, and it is the model in my collection that gets downloaded and printed the most. Recently a stranger messaged me to let me know that Sarina’s 3D Printing was selling my model on Facebook. This was Sarina’s post:
The problem with Sarina’s post is that I had uploaded the iPad stand under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Deed (CC BY-NC 4.0) license which means that the model cannot be sold without my permission. So I decided to write a comment on Sarina’s post: “Just so everyone knows, the original model is available at https://makerworld.com/en/models/985191-stand-for-ipad-with-thick-case, and it is provided to the community under an Attribution-NonCommercial license which means that work must be attributed to the original designer, and the object cannot be sold.”
Within a couple of days, the post had been taken down. Unfortunately it is very common for people to violate Creative Commons license terms. Sometimes it is blatant theft, such as these examples:
Because I am only a 3D printing hobbyist, and I don’t depend on 3D printing for income, unapproved use of my models does not impact me financially. If anything, I choose the view the breach of licensing terms of my 3D model as a compliment. However, there are many designers out there whose models are used without their permission.
I greatly appreciate being notified by a stranger that someone was selling my model. I recently noticed some suspicious activity and took similar action. A designer posted AirPods Max Jewelry under a Cults 3D Private Use License which prohibits commercial sale, remixing for public sharing, and distribution. However, the exact same model was reposted as Airpods Max Skeleton Accessory. I publicly commented on the repost and also messaged the original designer.
I’ve found the 3D printing community to be helpful and supportive of one another, although there are occasional bad actors. If we all look out for each other, we can hopefully hold people accountable to the licenses that make this community possible.
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