Confusion surrounding license terms for models

In the general model license it says that I’m allowed to make use of the models uploaded at 3D Warehouse to display commercially, so I don’t need permission from the uploader. From a forum posting I saw someone from 3D Warehouse say that that was the original intention of the license terms, that the models uploaded be openly available for commercial use. But one thing that confuses me is the bit in the license terms that talks about restriction from removing logos or symbols from models, and the distinction it makes with Google Geolocated models.

In short, I want to make use of many models in a game I’m developing, it’s not commercial primarily, but things may change. I wanted to know if there is a difference if the user who uploaded the model is Google Geo Models, and what’s this business about removing logos and Geolocated models? The license explained that we’re free to modify the models.

Thank you.

Maurice.

I would think that a logo or watermark on an image is an assertion of copyright and that removing it violates that copyright (I’m not a lawyer, just stating an opinion).

Right, but that then would be the opposite of the conditions saying that you’re free to modify the work. I swear, this licensing stuff is impossible to understand. Can I even get through to staff or something with 3D Warehouse? I couldn’t find an email.

We are engineers on this list, not lawyers, and will NEVER respond to requests like this, unless we’d like to get our butts in a boiling kettle of ■■■■.

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This gets into deep questions about whether Trimble’s agreement can override a creator’s claim of copyright. As Barry said, that’s a question for lawyers not for us!

Right, I totally agree any legal area can become very complicated fast, but I find it ridiculous that I can’t get get a simple answer to a simple question, whether or not I can use the models in a commercial game. The answer isn’t circumstantial on each case from what I’ve understood of the license I’ve read, the repository that is 3D Warehouse allows modification and use of the models for commercial purposes. So for example, if you upload a building to the site and I download it and use it in creating my city, you still own the rights to that model, but I can profit from use of the model you uploaded. As I understand it, this is similar to the standard CC By Attribution license where you own it, and you allow other people to use it commercially. It’s just a couple of extra bits of the license that I didn’t understand, like those about removing logos and the Google geolocation stuff.

Thanks for all your help anyway. I’ll just have to leave without an answer to this.

One bit you may have missed, if your game is/becomes commercial and you are using sketchup to populate the model, most would agree that you would need the Pro version not the free Make version that your profile tells us you have.

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I am making a book on religion for children, and I want to add your model in a render image, I would like to know if I am allowed to do so, the models of the 3d warehouse are part of the image not the whole. For example I added a chair in the model that comes from the 3dwarehouse but there are models from myself. Why there is a person from 3dwarehouse to indicate?

Please do not triple post.

I am not posting I try to ask directly to the person with a similar problem. How is possible there is not person from 3dwarehouse to answer a legal issue, I cannot understand, this is a irresponsibility from the sketchup company. People may be sue for this thing.

You don’t understand. Everything is in the terms of use. SketchUp employees (I am not one) cannot comment on that.

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Yes diffuse terms of use. I have to find a lawyer, I now I understand. I maked a mistake to work with this company, as a forum community you could try to
avoid this type of problems. After all sketchup work for the community. I will not disturb you any more bye.

It doesn’t sound like you do. You are asking for legal advice from a group of non-lawyers. That’s like asking for medical advice from a group of plumbers. Ask us for advice on using SketchUp and we can give it to you. We’ll do so freely and happily. Ask your questions to the right people and you’ll get good answers.

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