World of Tanks DMCA

[Woz]

Those of us who are into 3d printing probably know about Bergman and TigerAce1945's 1/100 scale tanks on Thingyverse.

If you don't then they're a huge collection (literally 100's) of FREE 3d printable military vehicles.

TigerAce1945 has posted on FB that he and Bergman have had most of their models taken off Thingyverse as Wargaming World Limited (the makers of World of Tanks) DMCA’d their models.

WWL recently started selling WoT tanks on Shapeways so I wonder if they're going claim copyright on all 3d printed tanks.

[Tiger6]

The ones I had seen where simply extracted from the game files and posted as is, so Wargaming is well with in its rights to claim copywrite ownership of them.

If you have the CAD files and can show you modelled it yourself than that is an entirely different issue - Wargaming can not claim copyright on the shape of a vehicle, only the ingame assests that they have created themselves. If on the otherhand the original owner of the vehicle design decides to come after you for making unlicenced models then you likely are in the do-do, which is why I won't sell my GMC or Dodge trucks on Ebay, or upload the models onto Thingyverse.

[Woz]

The ones I had seen where simply extracted from the game files and posted as is, so Wargaming is well with in its rights to claim copywrite ownership of them.

If you have the CAD files and can show you modelled it yourself than that is an entirely different issue - Wargaming can not claim copyright on the shape of a vehicle, only the ingame assests that they have created themselves. If on the otherhand the original owner of the vehicle design decides to come after you for making unlicenced models then you likely are in the do-do, which is why I won't sell my GMC or Dodge trucks on Ebay, or upload the models onto Thingyverse.

There are a lot of WoT tanks on Thingyverse but these weren't WoT rip offs. They included lots of vehicles that aren't in WoT like trucks, APC's and even WWI tanks. Also they didn't have any of the paper Panzer's that WG likes releasing.

The problem is that with a lot of websites you have to take to take the people who issued the DMCA to court and prove it's your model in court before you can have your models reinstated. Andnot many poepl have the money to take WG to court.

[Tiger6]

If they are using WoT in the name or description then that is enough. Technically they would be claiming an association with the game that does not exist - which is illegal.

If the models really are their own work, and they are not making any reference to WoT, then Wargaming's copyright claim would be baseless and could be appealed.

[Woz]

If they are using WoT in the name or description then that is enough. Technically they would be claiming an association with the game that does not exist - which is illegal.

If the models really are their own work, and they are not making any reference to WoT, then Wargaming's copyright claim would be baseless and could be appealed.

I've no problem with things being taken down if they infringe copyright (my girlfriend is an artist and we have to deal with copyright all the time) and am surprised at the amount of stuff that is up there that clearly does warrant taking down. I'm not sure what tags were used so maybe thats why they're gone.

The thing is that some of these models have been up there for 4 or 5 years without a problem. Then WG start selling 3D printed tanks on Shapeways (https://www.shapeways.com/shops/wotshop) and suddenly hundreds of tanks get taken off Thingiverse.

It's a sign that big companies like WG are starting to take 3D printing more seriously so a lot of 3D models may disappear as DMCA's get issued (rightly or wrongly).

In a way it's good for the 3D community, because if big business start making money out of it then there will be more money put into developing the technology.

The downside is that these companies will have more control over 3D printing. Can you imagine if Apple did a 3D printer -

The i3D,
Can only use apple software (monthly subscription only).
Only use Apple consumables (which cost twice as much as regular consumables)
Only Apple replacement parts can be used and these need to be installed by an Apple approved engineer.

[midlife306]

Christ, are they mad????

OMG...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Woz]

Christ, are they mad????

OMG...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Got to remember that WG are used to people throwing money at them for pixel tanks.

[Son of a gun-ner]

Christ, are they mad????

OMG...

No, the people that would pay that much are.

[Tiger6]

The thing with DCMA is that it is there to protect the hosting site - somebody complains and they have to take it down immediately to avoid being liable for the infringement.
The down side (at least in the case of Youtube - can't speak for Thingyverse as its not currently getting the coverage that Youtube copyright strikes are getting) is that the person claiming infringement doens't have to prove anything. Its up to the person who is being accused to prove their innocence

I suspect that somebody in a low ranking job in marketing at Wargaming is trying to make a name for themselves by 'eliminating the competition' - without having an actual basic understanding of the law. We've seen similar antics from their sub offices in the past - notably with regard to threatening copyright strikes on Youtubers who have criticised the developers - a complete abuse of the DCMA, and something that head office's PR folks had to hastily backpedel on once the public backlash started.

Yikes those WoT mini's are expensive o.O

(For anyone really interested in copyright law, I can highly recommend Leonard French's Youtube channel)