The online world is full of 3D model marketplaces offering both free and for-purchase models created by a widespread community of designers. These sites are wonderful ways for people to easily obtain high-quality models for 3D printing at home, and they also offer a means of making a living for some designers. Unfortunately, there will always be people who abuse the system. There have been several cases of unscrupulous users selling others’ designs as their own, and things get even more complicated when it comes to actually buying and selling as opposed to just downloading a free design.
Like any physical goods, 3D models can be returned if they’re unsatisfactory to the buyer. A buyer can return a 3D model for a full refund for a number of reasons: bad quality, missing textures, incompatibility of an asset, etc. When returning a physical item, however, it’s a lot simpler – you just present the item to the seller, who takes it back and returns your money. With a digital file, there’s no way to know whether or not the item still remains in the buyer’s possession. A buyer can easily purchase a file, download or copy it, and then demand his or her money back for whatever reason. Returns are an honor system that assume the buyer has deleted the file and won’t be using it, or worse, selling it elsewhere.“We know how difficult it is to ensure IP rights are protected in all digital media,” said Dalia Lasaite, Co-Founder and CEO of CGTrader. “We are collaborating with PolyPort to see whether their technology could help us solve the issue in the exponentially growing 3D industry. 3D models are very complex assets, and we would be happy to provide a convenient method which would allow our customers to ensure that what they buy is exactly what they get.”
“IP protection is a rapidly growing issue that will continue to expand as the world further embraces digital technologies,” Kettell said. “We’re excited to further our mission of safeguarding creators digital IP by aligning ourselves with an industry leader such as CGTrader that empowers real content creators.”
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