Thanks for the reminder. We’ve passed on this information along with other recent cases to our legal team and we assure you that we are taking actions to protect all of the models and designers in our community.
As a rapidly growing website, we suspect these thefts to happen at a higher pace in the future and we kindly as that all of our members to help keep an eye out for similar suspicious cases. If you find any other websites that are actively stealing from MakerWorld, please do not hesitate to inform us here at the forum or by email to models@makerworld.com.
Again, we appreciate all your support and concerns, and we will work as hard as we can to preserve the valuable work of our loyal and dedicated members. Thank you.
This and the big slide in upholding their own guidelines is the main reason I never upload anything of value here, lot more people are seeing the same. I bet the same profile will exist next month pilfering peoples hard work, or just change their name but keep the same MO. They don’t even need a profile to download models these days anyhow. Shame Makerworld…
I found some model on a rather suspicious website at an impossible price.
So after this result from a search engine I checked what else this website has on offer…
If you have models to pay for chances are this website provides at dumping prices and through that makes a fortune.
Thing is that once you found one of these sites you keep finding more and almost all of them on servers outside all legal boundaries.
But on this particular website I also found a model I (legally) own for quite a while now.
As the creator not only provides free updates for models but also a great support if you run into problems I decided to order it once more.
The Zip came with a new name, not the original.
And while there were all STL files inside, the text files for the license and notes from original creator were missing/edited.
Of course the files were also a few versions behind.
When I contacted the creator he was furious - to say it nicely because he found 12 of his models there.
All priced at less than half of what he is asking for.
How did it end?
The models are all still available, no take down complaint or support request was answered.
Three months down the line and Etsy, one of the hosters he uses tried to step in, sending a takedown request as well as a notice for breach of their T’s & C’s.
Etsy was ignored as well…
Makerworld not only has models stolen from other sites/creators but also the problem that those using Makerworld as their default platform having their work stolen as well.
A two way issues that Makerworld does not really do enough with to make it better.
No hoster does so far as they all prefer their profits and won’t invest money on legal claims against other hosters - it would start a war the creators would pay for.
What we need a website with forum made by, controlled by and enforced by the creators.
I am certain we have a few people here able to whack up a half decent website with what is required.
And what do you think would happen if there is enough makers and creators present and active ?
Sponsor requests - that the creators are in charge of not some company we can’t really contact.
How much more would it take to not just make up for the running costs by what the creators can sell but to make a meaningful profit?
With that there would be MEANINGFUL ways to deal with those stealing models…
So why again do we keep whining instead of starting to act and change the game ?
I’m not advocating this but this copying problem can be addressed through a walled garden ecosystem (like some parts of the digital world). And here, community acceptance and business sustainability is another matter altogether.
For example, creators will upload and license their models to MW to distribute (sell). MW becomes a digital content site with no more user downloads. Users will browse the models library through website or app, choose a model, adjust the slicing online, hit print and MW will send the sliced file through end-to-end encrypted communication to a BL printer.
I.e. a Bambu Lab walled garden ecosystem. There are no STLs or 3MFs that users can copy to resell.
Pricing model can be a mix of per print, subscription or even sponsored.
There are of course many pros and cons legally and commercially, for BL/MW, BL printer users, non BL printer users and creators.
I was checking the website and I have seen they are based just about 25km from the place I lived!!!
Never heard before about them, so I guess it is just a guy with a few printers at home and not a serious business
Hey Bambu. Please check Makeronline by Anycubic. I have seen a few models that look like ones from makerworld. Can’t be sure if copied but is plausible.
