I’m sure this has been brought up before. I’m new here.
Every now and then I come across someone posting my designs under their own name. I check the platforms for this kind of thing myself when I can, but I have a lot of models, so it’s pretty time-consuming. And sometimes I end up getting reported myself, like today.
This model is pretty popular, and it’s been posted on MakerWorld more than once. It’s called Flexi Fish Bone keychain.
This model is pretty popular, and it’s been posted on MakerWorld more than once. It’s called Flexi Fish Bone keychain. Of course I’ll appeal it. The model is also published on other platforms, and the dates make it easy to tell where the original came from. But my question is: after MakerWorld accepts the appeal, they take those points away from the account that reposted my model, and they don’t credit them to me, the actual author. Users are downloading and printing my model, so those points were earned fairly. Instead, they just disappear into thin air. Unfortunately, the model itself is now fully masked, so I can’t see any information about it, even though I’d be interested to know the publication date, for example.
And that brings me to the second issue: a designer has no real standing here, just a level and a follower count. I have to spend my own time appealing because of a user with 21 followers over 2 years.
To be clear, I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m saying reputation should cut both ways. If a designer’s track record earns them visibility, it should also earn them more trust when they file an appeal, and yes, more accountability when they’re wrong.
Maybe some will read this as arrogance. I’d argue it’s the opposite. Right now the system treats a proven designer and an account with barely any history as if they carry the same weight, and that’s exactly what makes it easy for bad-faith accounts to game it.
