{"id":21438,"date":"2015-07-07T10:38:28","date_gmt":"2015-07-07T10:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/?p=21438"},"modified":"2015-07-07T15:35:49","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T15:35:49","slug":"updating-our-terms-conditions-and-content-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/updating-our-terms-conditions-and-content-policy","title":{"rendered":"Updating Our Terms & Conditions and Content Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I know \u2013 what could be more exciting than a blog post about an update to Terms & Conditions and Content Policies?\u00a0 But stick with me.\u00a0 This is<\/i> kind of exciting because this update to our Terms and Conditions<\/a> (T&C to those in the know) and Content Policy<\/a> helps to make sure that the rules that govern what happens here on Shapeways match up with how you expect things to work here on Shapeways.<\/p>\n

T&C Changes<\/b><\/p>\n

Truth be told, most of the changes that we are making to the T&C are because the most recent T&C were a little . . . out of date.\u00a0 We pulled references to services that we do not offer anymore and made sure that the way we describe things like payment processing and refunds reflects how we actually do payment processing and refunds.\u00a0 There are also a few things that weren\u2019t explained (or weren\u2019t explained well) in the old T&C that now have a place. \u00a0You can check out the old T&C so you can compare them to the new T&C here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are a handful of changes that are worth mentioning in a bit more detail.\u00a0 The first is the change in how we handle User Generated Content (UGC).\u00a0 In the context of our T&C, UGC is essentially everything that is not your 3D model (think pictures that you might upload or descriptions that you might write) that you make visible to the public.\u00a0 In our old T&C, by uploading this type of UGC to our website you gave all other users of the site a fairly broad license to use that content.\u00a0 The new T&C narrows that license significantly and puts additional restrictions on the use.\u00a0 Now, by uploading images and other UGC (again, not models<\/span> in this case), you give other users a license to share your content on blogs and other social media.\u00a0 However, that sharing must include prominent links back to your Shapeways shop or page.\u00a0 Much of this type of sharing would likely be protected by fair use and not require a license in the first place, but we decided to clarify permissions in the interest of encouraging sharing.<\/p>\n

The second noteworthy change is that we wanted to clarify how we might use your models internally.\u00a0 Shapeways is a place for designers and we take the fact that you trust us with your designs very seriously.\u00a0 That means that even when we use a design internally we want to be clear to you what that means.\u00a0 Our new T&C clarify that we may use your model for internal testing and education.\u00a0 That means that we might use your model to test new processes and train our production staff.\u00a0 Why do this?\u00a0 We print an almost unimaginable range of models for people every day.\u00a0 Before we bring a new process online, and before we are confident that a new staffer is up to speed, we need to make sure that our processes and people can handle anything that you will throw at us.\u00a0 The best way to do that is to take real models that you upload \u2013 those are the models that test the limits of what is possible with 3D printing \u2013 to make sure that we are up to snuff.\u00a0 As I said, we take your trust seriously.\u00a0 That\u2019s why we only keep these models as long as we need them for our own internal operation, testing, and education.\u00a0 Once we are done we destroy the model so there isn\u2019t one floating around the world unaccounted for.<\/p>\n

Content Policy Changes<\/b><\/p>\n

The changes to the content policy are less dramatic.\u00a0 They mostly have to do with organizing the policy to make it a bit more user friendly.\u00a0 We also decided that it was time to change our official DMCA contact (that’s where copyright takedown notices are sent) from our CEO Pete to a more versatile generic “DMCA agent.” \u00a0This makes Pete\u2019s inbox easier to handle and makes it easier for us to make sure that we are tracking and responding to DMCA takedown requests. \u00a0That aside, the biggest change to the Content Policy is probably that we now explicitly encourage people to contact each other before sending formal takedown notices.\u00a0 We\u2019re not requiring anyone to reach out before sending a takedown, but we have noticed that sometimes a polite email resolves conflicts more efficiently than a takedown notice. \u00a0Here’s a copy<\/a> of our old Content Policy if you are curious what they look like side by side.<\/p>\n

———<\/p>\n

At the bottom of this post is a summary changelog tracking some of the updates to the T&C.\u00a0 I encourage you to take a look at the changelog and at the updated T&C and Content Policy.\u00a0 If you have questions or comments, feel free to shoot me an email at mweinberg@shapeways.com<\/a>\u00a0or ping me on twitter @MWeinberg2D<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Major updates:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n