Recently, while doing a reverse image search through Google. I discovered that a online seller is offering my 3D model in their web shop without my permission.
They even are using my Makerworld images. I filed an IP complaint through the platform hosting the shop. They responded and removed my model from the seller’s store.
The seller in question is offering more than 9,000 models for sale. A significant number of models appear to originate from creators on MakerWorld including the model images from Makerworld.
This is not just about one model being removed.
The real question now is:
How can we bring this to MakerWorld’s attention in a structured and effective way?
The fundamental problem is that Bambu is unable to clean up its own website. MakerWorld also contains stolen 3D models from other sites, such as Cults and Gumroad. Only the individual 3D model are removed, not the account, allowing users to continue their activities.
Firstly, one would have to question how they intend to address other websites if they are unable to clean up their own mess. I won’t even mention the issue of IP infringement as far as MakerWorld is concerned.
As great as MakerWorld is, they can also join the list of such websites. They are worlds away from the professionalism of Gumroad or myminifactory.
My models are there too… quite many of them.
I only managed to report a few (thanks @h3li0 for the link) but I can’t report more because I get a notification: “Your actions are considered to be suspicious”…
Can you share where and how you wrote the IP complaint? I’m glad it worked.
I also did it through the platform hosting the shop, they didn’t do anything over the weekend, but today I received an email saying I should send them photos with metadata to prove that I’m their author. It’s 26 stolen models and dozens of photos, this is insane…
The same seller also stole models from my husband - and he got an email today from the platform saying he should send them screenshots from the programs to prove that he is the author of the models…
yeah i sent screenshot from fusion, i only reported 2, which are the ones that i saw, but i didn’t go through the entire list yet, it was just too many, i asked them to take action on the entire account, but they pretended they didn’t listen..
I don’t want to spoil your mood, but I’ve seen a lot of them. There are over 300 pages, it’s actually a bit hard to get through
Since they received reports from several different people, they should do something about this account, but it seems they don’t care.
Since the seller clearly engages in illegal behaviour, wouldn’t it be better to actually block the seller and ask the seller to provide proof of legal action instead of content creators having to search for their own models being sold on site with different names and in language they most likely do not understand?
Their policy seems to be “proove that this particular listing is illegal” for every single listing instead of nuking the account.
yeah i’ve found quite a few more already, i decided to try something new which was adding all the links on the last response i got from them, let’s see what they say
yeah it looks like it, i’m guessing they are happy with getting commissions out of it. I even told them they will have many designers reporting, and i just asked them again to take action in the account, however i suspect they will ignore again
When it comes to complaints about separate items, we immediately delete them.
A complete blocking of the store is not appropriate here, since the seller’s assortment may include other products that do not violate your rights or the rules of the marketplace.
All products that you complained as the copyright holder about have been removed.
If you or another rightholder see other items with violations, please report them.
So what? should we contact all model owners to report that particular seller in case-by-case manner? that puts undue burden on copyright owners.
After a long time out of the loop, i will leave this here and go out the same way i came in. Also happy to see that Makerworld is still protecting some creators that use AI in their models and images. There goes the rules… but hey, when you have a creator that has more than 300k downloads, you can’t apply those rules to them right?
This user has been reported last year, months ago. It was discussed around here and no one could do anything. Vinted repeatedly denied reports and the user keeps adding Makerworld models everyday, using the original pictures and selling like crazy. He’s located in Portugal but Vinted is international.
This shop is like Vinted / OLX / Etsy / Shopee and many others, where users can register and start selling. Also last year i reported several models without any luck. Actually, several affected users did it also and without any luck. At the time i contacted Makerworld and they told me to go take a hike. Almost a year later and these sellers are still profiting from creators, using their models and also their pictures. And i mean big profits in some cases…
Makerworld needs to step up. Not writing beautiful and ordered blog posts or forum posts about it, but to really step up. These 2 websites are just an small example in a wider spread issue.
There’s Shopee in brazil that users are also exploiting and it’s one of the worst cases, becauset in any of these shops, if you want to report it, you have to have a country email or phone number, making it really hard to take the models down.
Even Instagram and TikTok are full of new accounts (normally named ■■■ studios, ■■■ 3D or ■■■ designs) that are ripping creators everyday. Reporting them has no use because it’s also ignored.
Now i will leave silently and watch the topic unfold once more. I am pretty bummed to see that after a year nothing has changed. That after a year, the same “ AI creators” that were discussed heavily around here are still present and doing great. That the rules don’t apply to established creators because of their numbers.
