Create and publish models from frenchies
Hello everybody.
For a long time, I’ve been thinking about the legal implications of creating and publishing self-designed objects or models that have a clear connection to Frenchies, such as those from Disney (Star Wars, Marvel, etc.).
This thought has become more concrete recently because I’m considering making cake toppers for my daughter’s birthday, featuring the silhouettes of well-known Disney princesses. The SVG files for these silhouettes can be found on various websites, of course they are not official Disney releases. Would this not already be a copyright infringement?
What if I modify these files and then make them publicly available, but not for commercial use, only for personal use?
In general, major model databases like printables.com, thingiverse.com or the newmakerworld.com are filled with licensed models. Is this legal, or does no one really care
RE:
I guess you are talking about general copyright infringement, which is super shady area in certain situations.
See https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/english-forum-general-discussion-announcements-and-releases/model-deleted-by-admin/
In general it's hard to prove that the model is an intellectual property infringement because nowadays it is really easy to copy and alter model so it is close but not the same as the original. Usually if someone gets actual benefits - especially lots of money - from it, then legal will kick in - otherwise it is too expensive to start processing it.
The same story is with some stolen credit cards or fraudulent payments - sometimes it is just cheaper to give user money back if they claim that they did not spent them instead of starting investigation of what actually happened. Of course if you trigger certain level then things take different route...
Some people still make copies or derivative works but do not publish them, so they are not publicly available...
If unsure, always seek for the guidance from the legitimate legal team.
See my GitHub and printables.com for some 3d stuff that you may like.
RE: Create and publish models from frenchies
Thank you for your response. Based on what you wrote and what I have learned in the past few days, I would say that one is always operating in the realm of copyright infringement. Most of the time, it's just too laborious or too costly for companies to pursue legal action, especially when the publisher has no benefit or financial gain from it. So, people here and on other platforms are playing with this fact and risking, at most, that their models may need to be removed by the site's operator, but without facing any consequences themselves.