FAB & Issues with IP Infringement (copied, ripped, or stolen meshes)

Krabworks · October 28, 2024, 5:03pm

I know Erik said they are aware of this - but wondering if and when we will see some action to remove copyright/IP-infringing assets that right now make FAB unusable for game developers.

Many of these already existed on other platforms before FAB. Epic marketplace had more stringent review process, but during the merger these were ‘grandfathered in’ from other stores without review and now FAB is flooded with them.

As a store for professionals paying for products that can legally be redistributed, this makes FAB risky and unusable (for unknowing IP infringement). This is one of many reasons why having separate markets for professionals/game devs vs. random kids doing 3D prints was a very good system. You have to pick a lane. FAB cannot both host pirated assets and also be usable by professionals.

Mainly the issue for game developers is things taken from well-known companies/franchises including from popular games by other developers. Most of these being sold for a price and are not just models being hosted for hobbyists.

A few examples:

EVE Online (Pearl Abyss):
https://www.fab.com/listings/67f37c23-fc18-4453-bd0d-ab3f9a84d4af

Stuff from The Witcher series (CDProjektRed):

https://www.fab.com/listings/0499db22-4374-48be-b2fc-09a543f4b311
https://www.fab.com/listings/675f9c25-fc60-439b-a615-4dcd67bbfe24
https://www.fab.com/listings/c8d4b034-4466-4f85-af14-b2f550e6bf5b
https://www.fab.com/listings/bc6228c4-841c-4b72-a807-5ee145962d61

Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios):
https://www.fab.com/listings/574fe425-6331-46fd-baee-050277024153
https://www.fab.com/listings/9ead1919-626d-4b8c-b45d-196596685f21
https://www.fab.com/listings/9b93e27f-c503-4741-9d10-6b0586805493

Oblivion (Bethesda Game Studios):
https://www.fab.com/listings/dc279d69-713d-4bd1-8a5e-600f377d9ff3

Half-life (Valve):
https://www.fab.com/listings/29cf3585-29c2-4ce2-a93c-d2ddbee8ffcd

Portal (Valve):
https://www.fab.com/listings/c7f00f90-b2d4-4cc5-8497-706b7adc574c
https://www.fab.com/listings/35278f2a-2358-4661-abc1-25c4055087fa
https://www.fab.com/listings/594f1d50-4e0d-46db-8300-f8f28a5273cb

The Simpsons:
https://www.fab.com/listings/9d305fb2-2d81-44d7-9ed9-8822316c8060
https://www.fab.com/listings/e739a8bb-9208-4877-9ce3-c5b08bcaa150
https://www.fab.com/listings/57aaa227-091e-452b-8716-4133031eff6a
https://www.fab.com/listings/8c06333f-bc26-48ab-9915-76530be02632

Genshin Impact:
https://www.fab.com/listings/aa90fdfd-92ac-46ba-ad84-16b084c91c3f

Elden Ring (FromSoftware Inc.):
https://www.fab.com/listings/2dcb0309-bad5-438d-ad76-4d69e534aaa8
https://www.fab.com/listings/bd7d7fa9-3488-45dd-bafb-732e8f324f98

Dark Souls 3 (FromSoftware Inc.):
https://www.fab.com/listings/334dda7a-87f9-4349-9d83-946df35f3531
https://www.fab.com/listings/be05ba11-3b99-4529-bf84-c2a62b76cecf
https://www.fab.com/listings/9c5d096c-34a0-4b15-8e97-5cc28ac845bc
https://www.fab.com/listings/99f6e212-daf6-45e1-b51d-35ed7896ff30
https://www.fab.com/listings/9ae2e33a-9517-4d51-8aa2-d621eb6be193
https://www.fab.com/listings/d4a1524e-b822-4c90-a456-057bbd87a6be
https://www.fab.com/listings/653615cb-133d-4eef-8180-d0b0e2eacb8f

Demon’s Souls (FromSoftware Inc.):
https://www.fab.com/listings/d852d4c7-b615-46bf-8f11-93e5f151bd8e

Super Mario (Nintendo):
https://www.fab.com/listings/2631b0ff-b9bb-4c1f-8424-b5dcca2a09f3

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega):
https://www.fab.com/listings/3a1a30c5-08b6-43d8-b338-e91f84235e21
https://www.fab.com/listings/be504bef-468d-48dc-87bc-d3bcde25862d
https://www.fab.com/listings/78696cbd-e48e-4e38-b6e9-9fa1b0e59d4a
https://www.fab.com/listings/58127d64-0671-4aac-9ce6-a86e52276a14
https://www.fab.com/listings/b137a496-2c08-4fba-9269-f5bc3e9730ae

Batman:
https://www.fab.com/listings/1e8e8d0c-e0ee-47b8-8d2d-a3cf99748658
https://www.fab.com/listings/ff5bc833-35b8-46bc-b72d-537b34d09539

Spiderman (too many to link them all):
https://www.fab.com/listings/321042c7-ec10-43c2-9e72-819af8bbad86
https://www.fab.com/listings/5dd4a9e0-2e42-43ab-a7a5-60d2739ad72a
https://www.fab.com/listings/cae81a23-da27-45bf-939c-0c823bc6b2ba

Minecraft (Microsoft):
https://www.fab.com/listings/a82fe129-419d-49e6-84c0-1d4e00751e64
https://www.fab.com/listings/37e432e1-4426-43bd-957f-5a925a5d9155
https://www.fab.com/listings/0ed7a1f5-f5c1-4a47-826f-e07cc14798da
https://www.fab.com/listings/79c4248d-216e-4953-8f78-a16afe8b3338
https://www.fab.com/listings/7574516c-e224-46c4-b498-0e46a3f6d33b
https://www.fab.com/listings/2fc6d8b9-910b-42e0-b679-5385b6360398

Dune (Funcom/Shiro games releases are out now and/or coming):
https://www.fab.com/listings/074d5900-6f0a-48f9-8916-90b5b5b7203c
https://www.fab.com/listings/4c25cabc-a37c-480d-bb08-c5aa9fcfd493
https://www.fab.com/listings/39d1ea16-59b3-4a15-9ce3-e7a36b8beaac
https://www.fab.com/listings/9dc8369c-0bf8-4fae-b7e4-cae6a58cc824
https://www.fab.com/listings/eee4101e-ee68-4751-b90a-bf48d7185c96

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:
https://www.fab.com/listings/7bceb451-ed4b-40fb-8d8f-e9ed4b44cfa7

The Hobbit:
https://www.fab.com/listings/6ce9c91d-7a96-4cba-b334-916a3de385bc
https://www.fab.com/listings/b58152cb-cff2-437d-ae16-c286cbaa2a4d

Legend of Zelda:
https://www.fab.com/listings/5e16a9fe-0dd3-4243-ab34-a8dc81a211db
https://www.fab.com/listings/e2e88f0a-0879-48cb-980e-b8405e16b140
https://www.fab.com/listings/00539988-3df8-46cd-bc6d-8ed965bf72fb

Believe me when I say I want to be a FAB customer…I want to support other artists, and it saves me time on things I would otherwise have to make in-house for game development. I am literally asking you to help us customers give you money…but right now they have made it so impractical to be a FAB customer that it’s just not feasible.

Satintribe · October 28, 2024, 6:16pm

Before I ask my question…I have a very small idea about licences and what you can and can’t do, but I know big companies, like you have above, look after and protect their property. They have deep pockets to sue an individual or company if they wanted too, so for me, I wouldn’t even put a companies logo on something, anything, for fear of being sued.

When I signed up to Fab they wanted to know who I was and I had to supply proof. I’m surprised they didn’t ask for my shoe size…anyhow…my question…

Do you know…
…why those people putting up those models for sale or free, are seemingly, not worried?
It’s not going to be hard to find out who they are.
What am I missing?

I’m just curious.

Krabworks · October 28, 2024, 7:45pm

I think a lot of reasons. For people making Fan Art, it’s not unusual to sell prints for example. So (1) this is free advertising/support, (2) it’s not worth their time to go after a $20 print, and (3) it would look bad on the company to go after their fans.

The problem here is that UE Marketplace is not a FanArt outlet but a store for professionals doing game dev, but is now seeded with these things from the other online markets that Epic Owned and merged into FAB. And you can bet that they would go after a game developer’s company for publishing a game for sale on steam or EGS using their infringed intellectual property, even if you got it by accident because Epic didn’t do their due diligence to screen products.

Some are also probably just naive (friends of mine have legitimately asked me several times why I can’t include things taken from DND in my games…?!). Several are also certainly in places (Russia, China, etc.) where they can’t really be subjected to EU/North American law and so why should they care…if the host platform is letting them get away with it, why not.

JohnnyBurbank1 · October 28, 2024, 11:09pm

Agreed! I was browsing 3D characters yesterday and right at the top I saw Tigger, Pooh, Skeletor, etc. They all seem to have “Standard Licenses”. While, as a game dev, I’d obviously avoid those known properties, there might be assets like that Witcher necklace in your first link that I might not have noticed/known.

I pinged Epic and got the generic response…“If you are the owner (or authorized to act on behalf of the owner) of the content or intellectual property that is allegedly being infringed on, please submit a DMCA Takedown notice at the link below”.

At the very least, add some kind of filter, like the AI one, so I can turn off models from other IPs. Or create a new license for non-commercial use for these models. Or, less so, add back in reviews so people can comment to avoid these models for game development or other commercial purposes (if the modeler doesn’t mention it themselves in the description).

Hopefully this gets sorted soon, either by Epic, or IP lawyers.

ScamBot45 · October 28, 2024, 11:30pm

So far, I’ve only seen one guy who openly admitted that he was ripping models from games and reselling them for roughly 10 bucks. But that was probably posted upwards of an year ago.

Krabworks · October 28, 2024, 11:40pm

This is the default response; I got the same once when someone had clearly ripped skyrim assets for sale hidden in part of a medieval asset pack on marketplace.

Unfortunately it seems like the approach is “clearly stolen stuff stays unless the owner themselves complains” - i.e., not our problem, even if it affects you the customer.

Satintribe · October 29, 2024, 5:39am

So if you’re in those countries and a platform allows you to upload certain products…happy days…for them…geez!

Krabworks · October 29, 2024, 2:44pm

Well…this is where product review comes in. The owners of the market should have some responsibility for screening the items being sold on their own website.

ScamBot45 · October 29, 2024, 3:08pm

In all honesty, I really don’t expect much to be done about this, in the short term. Sure, we can keep posting links and reporting stuff; but did any of us actually seen anything taken down, yet?

G-MAGA · October 29, 2024, 6:01pm

They indeed removed the Quixel “mine” that “nrm” was reselling for 1 USD since they were the Copyright Owner…XD

Krabworks · October 29, 2024, 6:20pm

Nope. Hilariously, I have seen several reports of sellers whose legitimate assets were flagged by Epic recently. There’s a thread somewhere here too where a guy was asked to provide evidence of copyright for his own work.

Meanwhile the obviously stolen stuff listed above in my first post is all still up, nothing has been taken down.

Krabworks · October 31, 2024, 1:41am

Went to add a few new things to the list when suddenly:

Really…??? This is where we’re at now?

ScamBot45 · October 31, 2024, 2:01am

At least it’s better than the trademark violations.

Krabworks · October 31, 2024, 4:42am

Welllllll…

https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86123088&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch

Arodi007 · October 31, 2024, 5:46am

ouf, that very worrying

Krabworks · November 5, 2024, 10:12pm

FAB is dead IMO unfortunately until some action is talken on this. If you sort by new, you will find they have not only left ripped things up, but are still actively approving more new stuff clearly ripped from other games:

This was listed TODAY. Weeks after the initial complaints and has the game it was taken from named in the asset title.

Maybe we can get a stance on this from @skfabby or @epic_kate on why this is still happening weeks after they said they were “aware of the issue.” We had all sort of assumed this was a mistake because ripped assets were auto-migrated to the new store, but nope - they are actively approving new IP theft as well.

ScamBot45 · November 5, 2024, 11:09pm

Well, to be fair they said that it’s made with Blender instead of it being an actual asset rip.

Krabworks · November 6, 2024, 3:36am

i guess? If I remodel Master Chief can I sell it to other game devs for redistribution lol

DarkDreamStudio · November 7, 2024, 7:49pm

To add up to your list @CG_Krab.

GTA Online Elegy RH8

Side note:
If anyone responsible for the fab is reading this, be careful, TakeTwo Interactive has already shown that they are not “playing” around, you must not have read news from the past, right?

Unfortunately, as long as you Fab don’t face a major lawsuit for distributing illegal content, you won’t rest…

In respect of that, everyone reaps what they sow, my concern is users who accidentally make a game with illegal content distributed on your platform.

Fab team… should I remind you that an indie studio had problems in the past because of stolen animations that they acquired from Unreal Marketplace that had to pull out of the store when it caught everyone’s attention?

However, to all users, be very careful.

As much as it may seem exaggerated, it only takes one of your games to have the wrong model from the wrong company for your game and reputation to be ruined (not to mention the legal problems that you could suffer).

ScamBot45 · November 7, 2024, 7:59pm

So, as an consumer, is there anything else that I should be aware about outside from the obviously titled listings?

Which one was this? Because the only concerning email that I received from Epic was from an free icon pack that might have been stolen, an few years ago.