He means like what was used to generate the stl. The actual editable file, so it can be further improved upon. For example, the .scad (OpenScad), or .skp (Google Sketchup) file, etc. so it can be easily modified.
Yeah, I get that now. Derping out over here.
@Thomas_Sanladerer “Since all the files are on thingiverse, you (and any uploader of the derivatives) granted them a license (in addition to the one you publicly chose for everyone else) which allows them to use your work for pretty much any purpose they desire. Legally, it’s absolutely ok for them to do what they do.”
No, thingiverse has a TOS which says you grant them permission to process the files for rendering, conversion etc:
3.2 License. You hereby grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to Company and its affiliates and partners, an irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free and fully paid, worldwide license to reproduce, distribute, publicly display and perform, prepare derivative works of, incorporate into other works, and otherwise use your User Content, and to grant sublicenses of the foregoing, solely for the purposes of including your User Content in the Site and Services. You agree to irrevocably waive (and cause to be waived) any claims and assertions of moral rights or attribution with respect to your User Content.
and Company stands for Thingiverse LLC.
MBI is operating as 3d printer manufacturer, to blurr this distinction and treat MBI selling designs which are licensed BY, BY-SA or even NC ignoring the license outside of the operation of the web-site thingiverse, is a breach of license; selling designs at MBI shop is NOT part of the function of thingiverse.
And if MBI ignored licenses of things posted on thingiverse, that would be the END of thingiverse.
is it a good variant?
@Rene_K_Mueller i’ve read that paragraph, too. The way i interpret it is as follows:
…to Company and its affiliates and partners. “Company” is, of course, Thinigverse LLC with Makerbot Indrustries LLC as their partner. So all rights granted to Thingiverse are granted to MBI as well.
…solely for the purposes of including your User Content in the Site and Services. Services would include selling physical version of the files. Even if services does not cover that, Thingiverse may (theoretically) repost the files under an arbitrary license that allows them to use the files for their purposes.
@Thomas_Sanladerer “Even if services does not cover that, Thingiverse may (theoretically) repost the files under an arbitrary license that allows them to use the files for their purposes.”
I see your point, right now Services of Thingiverse is to publish works only in electronic form, but not sell actual printed items (which MBI does). I think the moment Thingiverse itself (and not MBI) starts to print and sell items as part of their likely new and extended “Service”*, they can do so. Now, the devil is in the detail, whether such a change of Service as defined in TOS is applicable of stuff posted in agreement with a previous version of TOS (retroactive), I doubt that; but certainly Thingiverse could change TOS in the future to include selling printed items.