Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
Only thing I can think of, is to put a placeholder model in Printables, and have a website containing the actual files. However I think is not in the spirit of a model repository.
At least one country is trying to pass laws that require models to be sent to government cloud for scanning for "approved content" and I'm really not OK with this, and would simply prefer to just disallow licensing in that jurisdiction. Another country probably already does this, but Printables is not officially available there, so that kind of gets around it. I also have not published anything dual use (a dual use item is one that has application in both civilian and military such as a drone that can carry significant payload) but if I did I would flat out want to state that it cannot be used in wars.
RE: Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
You could always place detailed license term in the description of the item. It seems a rather niche requirement to me. I would certainly be opposed to making Printables more complex (for the users as well as the developers) to allow for by-country license terms.
Items for military use which must not be used in wars? Yeah, well... maybe you should just not publish them anyway.
RE: Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
What would happen license-wise if someone downloaded that model (and perhaps printed it) in country A and them moved to country B where you had different licenses for A & B? Doesn't seem very workable if you ask me. I suspect there will be two groups of people: those that just ignore the license and do what they want, and those look at the non-standard license and just decide to go elsewhere because they don't want to bother with it.
It is not easy to write a good custom license. There are just way too many cases you have to consider. Choosing anything beyond a set of well known and understood licenses is just asking for trouble.
RE:
You could always place detailed license term in the description of the item.
... Items for military use which must not be used in wars? Yeah, well... maybe you should just not publish them anyway.
I don't understand how to revoke (cancel) the permissions of the generic granted license from printables with the new addition, or if that is possible with most of the licenses available from printables.
You might be confused with military goods. Dual use goods are civilian items that are useful to the military. For example camera drones with certain characteristics, even if you buy them from a supermarket.
What would happen license-wise if someone downloaded that model (and perhaps printed it) in country A and them moved to country B where you had different licenses for A & B?
This is why I think it needs 2 licenses, and they need to specify the regions in which they apply. It seems to my non-legal brain to be similar to commercial product licenses that allow a company to sell a product only to a certain region, or do not permit its use in others.
Sure, people will break the license, and you might not be able to stop or prosecute them, but if you let that stop you then you might as well put no license since any license will have that problem.
Obviously, some lawyer will need to go over the details.
RE:
What makes you think that governments in those countries you're referring to give a rat's ass what the license says? If you publish it and they like it, they will download it no matter what the license says.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- https://foxrun3d.com/
RE: Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
It may not matter much anyway, even if you disallow licensing of your models in problematic jurisdictions. There is an emerging trend among some of the US states that are passing or considering legislation requiring the gatekeeper software you mentioned, of suing creators living outside of their own jurisdictions, for what they consider violations of their laws. If you make a model available that would be illegal in such a restrictive jurisdiction, and a user therein downloads the model in violation of your license, I don't think that the restrictive jurisdiction is going to care what terms you put in your license. The only things that will matter are that they have unlimited tax money with which to fund action against you, and few citizens have the means to effectively fight against that.
To me, this is a lot more disturbing than a state, or a handful of states passing ill-conceived and technically unfeasible legislation targeting 3d printing within their own borders. You may live in a US state which has no such restrictions, be engaged in enjoyment of your legal hobby, lawfully collaborating with other enthusiasts. And because somebody in California or New York can download files that you have shared online, you find yourself the target of a lawsuit by another state, which you may have never even been to. Which you can't afford to fight. This is happening right now, to members of the 3D2A community who have broken no laws federally, or of the states and communities in which they reside. And I think it's just a matter of time before these states start bringing criminal charges against residents of other states. This may all get sorted out eventually in the federal courts (it violates multiple articles of our constitution, not just the 2nd amendment), but that will take years, and in the meantime they will ruin lives, and have the chilling effect which they desire.
RE:
Perhaps we should just push a campaign of uploading nothing but middle finger models if they pass those draconian laws.
It would certainly be accurate.
The constitution is just paper. They stopped following that a looooooooong time ago.
Vehemently against AI. I've seen that film. It ends badly.
RE: Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
Hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions here.
I'll pass them along to the printables team, but for now I don't expect any changes until things are actually fully pushed through in the legal regard. I think it would likely result in some massive complications from many angles though so that's a much larger topic that would have to be addressed as a whole then. I really hope it doesn't have to come to that.
Otherwise, while I know the topic can be pretty frustrating, just a kind reminder to keep the discussion of the matter civil here.
RE: Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
Sometimes the restriction is there to protect the uploader from accusations of supplying things that are legal to publish, but not to give to certain people.
What makes you think that governments in those countries you're referring to give a rat's ass what the license says?
RE: Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
The point is that license terms are not likely to provide much protection to the uploader if a restrictive jurisdiction decides to go after them.
Sometimes the restriction is there to protect the uploader from accusations of supplying things that are legal to publish, but not to give to certain people.
What makes you think that governments in those countries you're referring to give a rat's ass what the license says?
RE: Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
Not everyone is (a) under US law, (b) making things that are classed as weapons, and (c) wants their items to be available worldwide by default.
The point is that license terms are not likely to provide much protection to the uploader if a restrictive jurisdiction decides to go after them.
RE: Printables: How to set different licenses for countries or organisations?
Not being under US law may be the only effective protection against some of these US states. And the weapons thing in some ways is kind of a red herring. As others have pointed out, once they have the ability to restrict printing and/or distribution of a digital thing, it will inevitably be used to restrict things other than weapons. But good luck in enforcing region based license restrictions on anything once you put it out there.
Not everyone is (a) under US law, (b) making things that are classed as weapons, and (c) wants their items to be available worldwide by default.
The point is that license terms are not likely to provide much protection to the uploader if a restrictive jurisdiction decides to go after them.
just push a campaign of uploading nothing but middle finger models
-- have a care - that's the sort of shape that could form the substructure of an offensive weapon...
Not being under US law may be the only effective protection
They appear to be attempting to make local laws with global reach. The protection will be to never visit those states or any with which they have extradition treaties.
International visitors will have to take care - Whilst visitor to Rapid + TCT - Massachusetts and the Rocky Mountain RepRap Festival - Colorado should be OK as long as they stick to those states I presume visitors and Exhibitors at Open Sauce and Maker Faire Orange County - both in California are liable to be arrested, jailed and their equipment confiscated...
Are tourist businesses, transport companies and hoteliers objecting to these laws?
Cheerio,