Help with GrabCAD copyright issues?
Hello, sorry if this isn’t the appropriate group for my question. I'm looking for advice from this community
A few months ago, I designed a 3D model of a stellarator (a type of fusion reactor) using SOLIDWORKS and uploaded my CAD files on GrabCAD. I have attached the link of my 3D model on GrabCAD below:
Magnetic Fusion Reactor - Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator
Recently, I noticed that an engineering software company from the UK used my 3D model as the main image in their social media post on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Looking at the social media post, it appears that the company used my 3D model from GrabCAD, but modified it slightly by adding thermal analysis contours.
I was surprised to see my 3D model being used, as the company never contacted me beforehand nor did they credit me in their post. I only became aware of them after seeing their use of my 3D model.
I wanted to ask if this is a breach of GrabCAD’s terms, considering the 3D model was used without my permission and without any attribution.
Although I have read the information on GrabCAD’s help page, as linked below, I’m still unsure if it directly applies to my situation.
I am quite disappointed to find my work being used by the company without my consent or acknowledgment.
Would it be advisable to contact the company directly or should I reach out to someone at GrabCAD for clarification?
3 Answers
While GrabCAD has "guidelines" for attribution and non-commercial use of models posted on GrabCAD, they don't subscribe to any globally recognized platforms for copyright protection. For the most part their general guidelines are only applicable to use of the model on GrabCAD alone. They (and you) have absolutely no control of your model outside of GrabCAD once posted on GrabCAD.
My opinion is you're out of luck.
As always, copyright or not, do not post models online that you don't want stolen. I can assure you your work will get stolen and you have little recourse. Chinese companies are especially bad about using copyrighted material without permission. Good luck fighting a claim against them. I speak from experience.
You could attempt to contact the company directly. If they have an ounce of morals they will at least give you attribution. But I don't believe you have any true legal claims against them after posting on GrabCAD. Your work is essentially in the public domain.
This is literally what GrabCAD is for. I have countless sources using my models as reference materials in their manuals without any credit to me. I posted my models to GC fully expecting people would use them for their own purposes.
At the end of the day, unless someone is taking your exact work and reselling it as their own, nothing unethical has transpired. By virtue of posting to GC, you have made your work open source.
This is not unusual, but in most cases companies actually ask nicely for permission before using GrabCAD models in their marketing materials. I have had this exact thing happen to me with this chair model:
Garden Chair for Dummies
that Dassault systems has used to promote SolidWorks Simulation Premium with.
It is really bad form not to ask permission and not to give credit, but at the end of the day, the perpitrators work in marketing, so what can you expect...?
Would you have refused permission if you had been asked...? Of course, we could expect that GrabCAD cared more for the intellectual property of our models, and took an active role in preventing abuse and illegal copying of models, but that train has left loooooooong ago :(
Thanks, Stratasys :)
