After MakerBot changed the Terms of Service for its popular 3D printables site, Thingiverse, there was an uproar in the 3D printing community about the ownership rights relating to 3D models. The change was, according to the company, meant to grant MakerBot permission to host the images and files of its users, protecting them from potential lawsuits.
While many have begun looking elsewhere for a 3D printables site with more open ToS, there are few sites as extensive as Thingiverse. Fortunately, YouMagine, one of the larger competitors to Thingiverse, has announced the beginnings of its own ToS, and an open source license, to protect community members’ property rights and enable their ability to share and collaborate.
YouMagine is allowing its community to contribute to their Terms of Service, and writing the rules for Share3D. It’s their open source, open source license, if you will.
However, the Creative Commons license doesn’t quite fit the world of digital objects, particularly when complex objects like 3D printed houses and commercial products developed by the open source community are concerned. To bring the principles underlying the Creative Commons license from the world of 2D data and software into the world of 3D printing, the site’s Community Manager, Joris Peels is asking the community for input. They hope to implement the ToS by the end of September.
If all goes well, YouMagine may be able to craft an open source community for 3D printable designs, and lay the basis for a new approach to property management in the 21st Century.
