How to fight 3D model piracy?
RECODE.AM #36
One of the more unusual indicators of the growing popularity and adoption of 3D printing is the increase in copyright infringements involving 3D models.
In the early days, when 3D printers were the domain of a relatively small group of hobbyists and enthusiasts, there was a strong ethos of mutual support and respect for each other’s work.
Over time, as the user base expanded and the sector became populated by a larger number of people with a rather “open approach to intellectual property,” those values gradually began to erode.
Today, 3D models are often treated no differently than music, graphics, or video - if it’s available for free online, people assume they can do whatever they want with it.
The key is simply not to get caught…
Funny how things have turned out... For years, the people building the 3D printing ecosystem dreamed of the technology reaching the mainstream, usually focusing only on the positives: greater exposure, higher sales, more money.
What they tended to overlook was that the mainstream also brings its own pathologies - theft, fraud, and exploitation.
Be careful what you wish for. Sometimes the worst thing that can happen to you is having your dreams come true.
Today, projects that represent many hours of conceptual work, testing, and refinement for their creators can be copied in a matter of minutes and sold anywhere in the world.
What’s more, infringements do not always remain within the same form factor. Models originally designed for 3D printing are sometimes used to produce physical objects made using entirely different techniques, which further complicates detection and the enforcement of rights.
In October 2024, I described the story of Lucky 13 - a brand created by Gabe Rosiak, known in the 3D printing hobbyist community under the pseudonym Soozafone. He developed a series of modular action figures and released them for free under a Creative Commons license. Rosiak allowed commercial use of the designs, provided that proper attribution to the author was maintained.
Naturally, the figures began to be mass-produced, but without any attribution to the creator.
The situation was highly ambiguous because, while the author had agreed to free reproduction for commercial purposes, he had also imposed certain conditions that were not being met. Ultimately, nothing further came of the case.
The project became an example of the success of an open distribution model, while at the same time highlighting how easily legal commercialization can turn into a situation in which the creator has no real control over the scale or manner in which their work is used.
The growing number of similar cases prompted MakerWorld, a platform owned by Bambu Lab, to develop a more systematic approach to protecting creators’ rights.
Today, the launch of the MakerWorld Creator Copyright Protection Program was announced.
Its primary goal is to support authors who publish original, exclusive models on MakerWorld when those designs are used outside the platform without proper authorization.
The program was created in response to very specific challenges faced by creators.
The first is the fragmentation of infringements. The same model can appear simultaneously across multiple sales platforms and social media channels, each with its own reporting procedures, documentation requirements, and response times. For an individual creator, this means investing a huge amount of time in formalities, often with no guarantee of a favorable outcome.
Another issue is organizational burden. Independently monitoring the internet, collecting evidence, and corresponding with platforms and sellers can take weeks or even months. Many creators conclude that the effort is disproportionate to the potential benefits and abandon attempts to enforce their rights altogether.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that some creators lack formally organized documentation proving authorship, which is often grounds for external platforms to reject infringement claims.
The MakerWorld Creator Copyright Protection Program was designed to minimize these barriers by centralizing and professionalizing the entire process.
Creators receive a single, unified reporting entry point within the Creator Center, from which they can initiate protective actions. Once prepared, evidentiary materials can be reused across multiple cases, significantly reducing response times and bureaucratic overhead.
A key component of the program is MakerWorld’s cooperation with specialized partners focused on copyright enforcement.
These partners handle communication with external platforms, the submission of formal complaints, and the coordination of actions aimed at removing unauthorized listings.
Creators receive support in preparing and supplementing documentation, but their role is largely limited to submitting a case and monitoring its progress.
The program has a global reach. Thanks to cooperation with partners operating in international markets, MakerWorld is able to respond more effectively to such cases and support the removal of illegal content beyond the creator’s local jurisdiction.
The program has already delivered tangible results during its beta testing phase. MakerWorld reports the removal of 200 URLs containing infringing content.
In the coming months, MakerWorld plans to gradually expand the program to include a broader group of creators and to develop monitoring mechanisms covering additional platforms and models.
Will this stop piracy and unauthorized use of 3D models? Of course not. But creators will at least receive an interesting tool - one that no one has ever offered before.
Great point about community values eroding as 3D printing hit the mainstream. The MakerWorld program is a practical solution to a real problem btw. I've watched similar dynamics play out in other tech communities where early sharing culture gets replaced by market incentives. Centrlaizing enforcement could actually work if it lowers the barrier for creators who'd otherwise just give up on protecting thier work.