MakerBot has recently released a short explanation of the Creative Commons (CC) licenses. In this article, we will focus on the attribution of CC licenses and explain best practices for attributing designs (for example to create 3D configurators) from Thingiverse.
Attribution is a condition for every CC license. MakerBot believes that attribution is incredibly important because those who spend the energy and time to create all the amazing things in the universe deserve recognition for offering their work to everyone. So what does the right assignment look like?
Under the Creative Commons Attribution License (3.0), unless a licensor requests otherwise, a licensee must keep all copyright notices intact and provide them partially and appropriately to the medium or resources the licensee uses. (i) the author’s name, (ii) the title of the work, if any, and (iii) the uniform resource identifier, if any. The actual license language is more comprehensive and you may review the actual license to determine all nuances. However, as you can see from the above language, CC Licenses take into account what medium the licensee is using and whether the assignment makes sense.
How to find licenses on Thingiverse.
The first step before you download or share Thingiverse designs is to find and read the license for a specific Thing. To help the community become more aware of the license, each Thing Page displays the license at the bottom of the page on the right and under the Thing Files tab.
As you can see, information is provided about the CC license under which the Pocket T-Rex Skull is licensed. In this case MakerBot has decided to license the respective file under the license “Attribution-ShareAlike”. A link to the “human readable” version of the license is provided, which itself has a link to the license text.
Remixes.
If you look back at the FFFiddle Remixes page, you can see the following link on the right side of the page.
The FFFiddle remix is a remix of the Puzzled f-f-fiddle under the link. Please note that MakerBot explains in the “Summary” section how the FFFiddle differs from the Puzzled f-f-fiddle. This is another example of how Thingiverse tries to make the mapping easier. It allows users to easily visualize the relationships between content shared across Thingiverse.
How do you link your Thing file to a Remix source file? Quite simple. All you have to do is click the “This is a Remix” button on the “Upload a Thing” page. A search field will open where you can search for the source file(s). If a particular file on Thingiverse does not allow you to create derivative works, that information will be provided during the search. To emphasize it again, you should always respect the choices made by users when selecting a license. You can also click “Remix it” at the top right of a Thing Page to post a new Thing as a Remix.
Let`s say you`ve found a thing you like and want to use. How do you ensure the attribution in certain contexts?
Online postings.
If you publish a Thing from Thingiverse on a blog or social media platform, you should consider the assignment requirements in the license itself. For example, you should include the name of the author or pseudonym, the title, a link to the Thing to Thingiverse, and a reference to the specific CC license. Here is an example of what this might look like:
The T-Rex Skull by Curriculum is licensed under the Creative Commons – Attribution – Share Alike license.
Physical Models.
The 3D printing brings a certain complexity to the question of correct mapping. For example, what happens if someone downloads a Thing file and prints it in 3D? How do they ensure attribution in certain contexts? As mentioned earlier, CC licenses provide a guide to highlighting the importance of the medium.
If you display MakerBot-specific content such as the Pocket T-Rex skull at a trade show or other event, you are also advised to display the 2D print sign provided by MakerBot.
Thank you for reading.
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