I noticed that Chinese vendors on Shein and Aliexpress are remixing models to avoid claims, the platforms do not honor the listings taken down because it is different (enough)
Anyone else seen this?
Example:
My model: Miniature Lowboard for dollhouse, scale 1:12 - Free 3D Print Model - MakerWorld
On shein it is like this
In this case they added a second drawer, the grips bigger and added some bars to the doors. Even a picture of the original model is still in the listing.
I also saw this on a other models I made once for example on a tow ball cover (they made it so bad everybody complains about breaking immediately)âŚ..
Anyone else seen this?
They sell our models, listing is taken down (a couple of times), they change it and continue selling a remixed version.
I donât think so, because the design should first and foremost be worthy of copy protection, but itâs too generic for that. Yes, I know that sounds harsh, but thatâs how it is. They donât have to worry about copyright claims. Why? Thatâs not how copyright works. They would have to copy something truly unique, like a Nintendo character.
No one really has a right to it anyway, except Sony itself, so itâs a bad example.
Itâs all very annoying, but since generic cabinets, even small ones, cannot be protected by copyright unless they have an absolutely unique design, this is still within the bounds of legality. I googled the design and you can find it everywhere. Whether as a real piece of furniture or a miniature.
A similar suspicion alone is not enough â youâll need more solid evidence. Copyrights are not automatically granted.
Above all, you must prove that your design is unique.
Any furniture manufacturer could now accuse you of copying their design, theoretical. But as I said, since this design is publicly available anyway, anyone can use it.
For personal use yes, not commercial.
And platforms like shein and aliexpress take down listings with copyright claims, i have filed many and all have been taken down, every single one.
As you state it everyone can do whatever he wantsâŚi do not think it works that way
As a musician for my whole life, I lived through the whole âdownloading music isnât stealingâ. saga of MP3 sharing. That sentiment had probably 80% support with the population too. Digital files couldnât be stolen, because the original still exists. Only record company execs and Metallica were fighting back on that stance.
I remember at one point, The Pirate Bay was talking about how their system would one day be used to share digital models of physical parts that users would download and print - that was the future of piracy!
The culture of theft in digital files is long and wide, and unfortunately globally accepted at this point.
No, you donât understand. Iâm not talking about the 3D model, Iâm talking about the design of the cabinets. You didnât invent that. If Iâm not mistaken, thatâs called âcountry farm styleâ. It might have a different name, but the design was already around in my grandmotherâs day. It is publicly available to everyone. Every furniture manufacturer, every 3D designer, anyone can use it.
If you want to protect your 3D object, you must invent your own design and not use one that already exists. Itâs not enough to just replace a few door handles; it has to be fundamentally new or different.
No, thatâs not the case. Please read my comment again. Weâve had hundreds of cases like the one you describe here in the forum, and the main problem is usually that people donât understand copyright law. Not everything is automatically protected!
However, it is a fact that you have to prove that you have invented or designed something unique.
You canât just claim copyright on everything that looks like a piece of furniture. Just as most fidget toys are not protected. Certain concepts are simply common knowledge.
Just so weâre on the same page, it would be something completely different if we werenât talking about a cabinet or a PlayStation.
Weâve already discussed this topic hundreds of times, and actually, everything is summed up here in a nutshell: Threshold of originality
My point was that people download models, make a few changes and sell them on (Chinese) websites. If you point out they sell prints of your 3d model they point out it is not the same.
My point was not about claiming original concepts or anything like that, but the fact they avoid take-downs of their listings and penalties from the platform(s)
Well, you started the discussion with the words, and I quote:
Accordingly, the direction of the discussion was set to write about copyright. However, itâs not a big deal if youâd rather change the focus of the discussion.
If youâre not really concerned with the copyright debate, but simply with the fact that 3D models are constantly being stolen: Thatâs nothing new. Unpleasant, of course! No question about it, but unfortunately it happens every day. Spread across countless websites. Even here on MakerWorld, stolen designs can be found.
Sorry but this one doesnât look like theft to me. When your idea is to take something that exists and make it smaller, many creators will end up with the same thing even though they all did the cad themselves.
They use your exact files and add or change a few details after the same models are taken down on temu aliexpress and shein, and then put them back up slightly different. I want to point out that this is a thing. I had discussions with these sellers until I blocked them, they gaslight you and want you to believe that you are the problem. So I know who they are, some of them have print farms and sell wholesale to people that have no idea that these models are stolen.
May I ask how you figured that out? Did the manufacturer provide you with the file for comparison? Do your files or 3D models have a watermark? Just asking because Iâm curious how you figured that out.
One plain told me they had a printfarm and wanted to mass print my models, and i told them no, another told me he bought it from a wholesaler on 1688.com and wanted a commercial license because he already sold 8000 of them and his listings were taken down. Most of my models have small details that make them recognizable for me, like certain holes, or plateaus that remain after printing, for newer models i have a mark in some parts that are almost invisible after printing if you do not know what to look for. Also I have developed a style in the models that can be recognized. It tokk me over a year to figure all of this out to be fair. Also fighting these listing is not easy too.
copyright is much more complex than most people think. There is an entire industry built around it.
Just because something is public does not mean you can copy it.
Think a book from the library. You canât legally copy the word combination. That is plagiarism a form of copyright infringement.
There is not a hard rule how much you need to change for it to be original. Comes down to how good of lawyer you have.
It gets even more complicated, as there are plenty of books that are either in the public domain or not subject to copyright because they do not meet the TOO (Threshold of originality) criteria and can therefore be copied completely legally.
Thatâs the fundamental problem: just because a book is in a library doesnât mean itâs copyrighted. The same applies to 3D models on MakerWorld. Itâs always a matter of: It depends. And because itâs so complicated, countries have at least agreed on TOO.
Iâve already posted the link in case you want to read it. Such discussions often end up with many different opinions, which is great, but ultimately, the only thing we can globally really rely on is TOO. Because itâs already complicated enough with all the different countries.
Programmers also have this problem, by the way. At what amount of own code is TOO reached? What is common knowledge? What already existed?
Yes, and i filed 2 cases (Jan 18th and 21st) that live on Trendyol, they are still âunder reviewâ whatever that meansâŚ..
To be fair, Trendyol is a platform where I hit a stonewall myself, no way to contact these people for this kind of thing.
