Someone sells my models from 3D Warehouse without owner permission

3D Warehouse
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Someone sells my models without my permission. Examples: my model: Citroen 11 CV | 3D Warehouse, offered model: Citroen 11 CV - 3D Model - 39303 - Model COPY - English. There are many more of my models on this page; Mercedes-Benz G4 W31, Mercedes-Benz 540k Cabriolet, Delahaye 135 MS. (As a new user, I can’t attach just two links.)
I suppose all the models offered for sale are not made by the company that sells them. It seems to me that no one can use models placed in the 3D Warehouse gallery for commercial purposes. I wrote to the company about this. They claim that they made all models themselves. The price of one model is 37.50 EUR

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I have two thoughts:

  1. Did the car manufacturers give you permission to use their names and designs? (You seem to be interested in preserving control of your intellectual property; the manufacturers are surely interested in the same thing.)
  2. The 3D Warehouse terms apparently prohibit commercial use of downloaded models. [I updated my post to correct my former mistaken understanding; sorry for the confusion.]
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That sucks. The problem with uploading it to the 3D warehouse is that it can be freely used by others, however it seems unethical that it is being monetized elsewhere. Trimbles terms are a bit of a “free for all”. Often freeware licenses allow it to be used for free, both commercially and privately but disallows it to be sold for money elsewhere. Maybe you can use a 2D image there that links to your own site or to a paid library such as cg tader, turbo squid etc. But even models purchased form there are likely being re-sold, I think it’s hard to police.
Trimble’s terms seem to hint at a future possibility that certain models may have to be purchased ( like extensions and plugins) and while that may not prevent what has happened to you, it may dissuade some of this activity?

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Our Terms of Use explicitly prohibits other users aggregating and/or reselling content they have downloaded from 3D Warehouse. Specifically 3D Warehouse Terms of Use states:

  1. Use Restrictions

You may not:

1. Modify 3D Warehouse Materials (other than your User Communications or Models or content you posted) or use them for any public display, performance, sale, rental or for any commercial purpose except as expressly authorized in these Terms of Use or the General Model License;
2. Decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble 3D Warehouse Materials that is software (except and only to the extent permitted by applicable law, and then only with advance notice to Trimble);
3. Remove or modify any copyright or other proprietary or legal notices from 3D Warehouse Materials; or
4. Redistribute or transfer 3D Warehouse Materials to another person except as expressly authorized in these Terms of Use or the General Model License.

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Yes, it sure looks like your model for sale there. Yes that is against the rules of the 3D warehouse. It looks like the model-copy.info website has been reported before as monetizing models from the warehouse.

It’s dishonest and unfortunate and has a chilling effect on the open exchange of models that is the spirit of the warehouse. But, I not sure how much you can do about it. I’m not sure Trimble is going to go to bat to stop it, although a call from their lawyers might be the only thing that would. International intelectual property rights is a hot topic these days.

The site has a Russian feel to it, some of the “reviews” are in Russian. The site appears to be registered in Canada, You could complain to their domain registrant company? Complain to the company directly? Go all Liam Neeson and fly out there and find them?

WHOIS search results

Domain Name: MODEL-COPY.INFO
Registry Domain ID: D54620001-LRMS
Registrar WHOIS Server:
Registrar URL: www.tucows.com
Updated Date: 2020-01-29T19:54:35Z
Creation Date: 2015-02-27T20:08:55Z
Registry Expiry Date: 2021-02-27T20:08:55Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date:
Registrar: Tucows Domains Inc.
Registrar IANA ID: 69
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: domainabuse@tucows.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.4165350123
Reseller:
Domain Status: ok https://icann.org/epp#ok
Registrant Organization: Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0139490859
Registrant State/Province: ON
Registrant Country: CA
Name Server: DUKE.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM
Name Server: MICHELLE.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM
DNSSEC: unsigned
URL of the ICANN Whois Inaccuracy Complaint Form is Submitting a Complaint to ICANN Contractual Compliance - ICANN

Last update of WHOIS database: 2020-02-10T19:25:47Z <<<

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I think when it comes to automotive its also a tricky area. The IP belongs to them (the brand) not you, so you cant really send a cease and desist, its up to them to take issue with it.

I know many automotive brands do not even allow any of thier vehicles on the 3D warehouse at all. If you had made your own original model, or somehting not already covered by another IP you would be able to persue it.

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"It’s amazing what you can get done when no one cares who gets the credit " - Ronald Reagan

It is a sad fact of life that you cannot legislate the attitude of the people. Nearly every image in Google IMAGES has a copyright, but that doesn’t stop people from copying them for any purpose.

Copyrights are a funny thing. It is often difficult to track down the violations, and then … the cost of litigation against the thief is massive. Ethics? That is something rarely found in modern society.

Joe

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I didn’t know this. You basically can’t do anything with warehouse models you didn’t create yourself.

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Back in July of 2020 they actively started limiting the number of models free users could download in a day to help combat this and everyone threw a fit. See this thread.

The terms of use don’t prohibit a user like you from using components from the 3DWH in your models.

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