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List of ripped models (stolen models) on the asset store

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by AlexOvch, Aug 28, 2021.

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  1. Zaerick

    Zaerick

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    I did not know it wasn't policed very well. I will be diligent when I start to buy assets in the future. Thank you.
     
    hippocoder likes this.
  2. MadeFromPolygons

    MadeFromPolygons

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    I dont have a definitive answer but this sort of stuff needs to be incorporated into the training and process of the asset store submission reviewers. This should be stopped before it arrives on the store. Yes things will slip through and no it will not be a perfect failsafe, but it will at least eliminate the obvious ones like clearly ripped vehicles and other branded items being sold on the asset store with seeming impunity.
     
  3. hippocoder

    hippocoder

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    Sadly no marketplace is, that I've found on the internet, where regular people can sell items. It is not just a Unity problem but a flea market / garage sale problem.

    You have a lot of people who really come from poor countries/communities and are basically slamming the west with scams and stolen goods. This is not something I blame them for as if it came to a toss up between food and scamming, I would scam too, as anyone would here. There are a few bad eggs that just do it because they're young or very stupid and lazy, and nobody can really tell what bracket anyone falls into.

    None of us should be pointing fingers and blaming but trying to design it out would be the best thing any of us could do.

    Some good things we can do is with reviews, and with doing a bit of homework before purchasing.
     
    mandisaw, Marscaleb, Mark_01 and 4 others like this.
  4. the_unity_saga

    the_unity_saga

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    Ugh, I wish artcoding was legit, I didn't even like the artwork but the models outline.

    I actually started re-doing a lot of the models, but wanted the general outline as a shape.

    As for the "industry secret", one verifying method is take the vector point outline of the mesh and aline them at the same scale, it will seem off if a percentage of the base meshes vert point match up, almost 1:1 with the other offending mesh (wireframe view). you can also compare UV coordinates, and a few other things, it will be uncanny and hard to dismiss, usually meshes from scratch do not have such matches, because it'd be pretty impossible to do this, UNLESS using a specific technique for production which was based on image outlines or tutorials, even there its kinda hard to get the same exact UV coordinates.
     
    FM-Productions and StevenPicard like this.
  5. WindyVillage

    WindyVillage

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    Hello, could anybody help me this question?

    I did purchased some assets in the asset store from an old account, that I have lost my password.
    Now I use another account for development. I still got some assets in old account, because I have already download it.

    So now can I use these asset for development, or I must buy again?
    I wonder if someday the author request me to show the proof of purchase. And I do not have the receipt anymore.
     
  6. hippocoder

    hippocoder

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    Nope no chance without account details. You will need to contact Unity support.
     
    lamtacla likes this.
  7. brian1gramm1

    brian1gramm1

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    This thread is making headway. If enough ppl can push Unity into stopping this crap us devs can get back to making games with Unity. I for one will not buy from the asset store until I know all sales are safe.
     
  8. Recon03

    Recon03

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    You sound angry, no one is yelling, and yes, its BASED on real experience... I know some folks can't handle others people experience, or get jealous of others experience, but I see folks spewing crap NOT BASED on actually experience, just something they heard... So sorry if that HURTS your feelings....

    As far as Grammar, I didn't know this was high school.. did I attack you?? If you don't like what I write, or can't read it ....Don't read it???? Didn't your mother ever tell you that....? SO I love when someone has nothing to bring to the table, but bluster, just finds a reason to attack.... Typical today I guess from some of this generation?

    if you have something to offer and have actual yes experience on the matter I would listen, but I don't listen to Rowlan or people like him, since he has no real experience, just opinion....

    Opinion does not help anyone when they are running a business, or selling a damn thing.. What does matter is actually real experience, and my experience has lead me to NOT listening to people from this forum and speaking to professional Lawyer... I'm sorry if you can't understand this....


    PS. I careless, who listens to who, I share ACTUAL experience, that I have had over a long career, and from others that I have worked with or for over the years...

    if someone wants to listen to someone's Opinion over real experience, go for it. .Its not my company, and not my problem... but when you get sued, or in trouble, I would be the first to say I told you so.. Experience matters .... sorry if that hurts your feelings... ( Not really)

    People wonder why less vet game developers/programmers don't share experience, most sit back and laugh at folks.. or charge $$..
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2021
    vertexx likes this.
  9. Recon03

    Recon03

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    Until Unity provides proof, by publishers, this will continue, they also need to have protection the same way us contractors do with companies in the real world... This needs to happen.. period.. Other wise you won't be fully protected... I was always amazed how any of these stores do this, when contractors, we need to, in order to protect, our clients.... I can't see Unity doing this.. Unless they change there process... completely , along with other stores online.... but, a red flag to ANYONE should be, when you see characters being sold for 10-30$l or some of these other models. I guess people will never learn, and Unity has always been about selling assets...... at any cost...

    Most assets are not only stolen, but piss poor and not properly optimized, so there process, needs to be changed... I know some people hate when I say this but from consulting for many games over the years, I seen people waste hundreds, thousands on the asset stores, and end up having to trash all of the stuff they bought or most of it... and this has always angered me, when they screw over people wanting to release a game.... and it stops them from doing so, when they have to re-hire someone... So Unity has had this problem from day 1...

    Both of these issues are connected and would address both stolen and bad art, if they had an artist actually checking the stuff sold on the store .. With out sharing the process, now any good 3d artist will know what to look for and how...

    Unity could easily do this and add protection to the users buying from the store... if they wanted. They could legally add, in protections that are connected to the publishers for any damage , the same way we contractors do... If they had the will, they could address these problems.

    So it goes deeper than Stolen art.. having falsely selling people "GAME READY" art is just as bad as stolen....
     
    Mark_01 likes this.
  10. Recon03

    Recon03

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    This is a great question Zaerick.. what is best, is to join Discords for game development, Unity , Unreal or any other.. Get to know folks that been around the industry, using Unity, Unreal, or any other engine..... Ask, folks what is good, and who is good....

    Some people will help you.. Now I will admit, some folks like myself, don't help as we once did, due to some of the annoying trolls, after 15 years of being here, always helping folks, you, need to steer clear of those annoying folks and just ignore them, but ask around to people who you see active in different Discord and ask around...

    Known assets like GAIA, who has been around for years and is super popular, has very mature users who tend to try and help one another, and not looking to troll typically... They have a great reputation, so when you ask folks on there Discord, people are almost always willing to help.. I used to be on there myself, and still go there from time to time.. But its one of the best Unity community's and one of the most popular assets, so they tend to have a vast amount of friendly users. ( alot of the known artist hang out there to..) Ones that sell in the asset store.
     
  11. Recon03

    Recon03

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    see you are getting it twisted, read the article, and SPEAK to a lawyer, like the rest of us professionals do... They can help you... I know what I can do, and what I have done....over a long career.... You shouldn't be listening to anyone from this forum, if you are a professional or plan to run a damn business. or you plan to sell a game.....NO MATTER the game....... Unless you want to take a chance, and get NAILED... .....PERIOD.../

    BUT BLIZZARD does not own, a Gnome or a Dwarf, or anything Fantasy, so yes, you can make that all day and call it your own... BLIZZARD can TRY and say, hey, that LOOKS like its from World of Warcraft, but you can easily say its not.... So, no BLIZZARD can't.... a Lawyer will tell you what is protected and what is not..

    I have made plenty of Fantasy based art since the 80's..... well before BLIZZARD was thought of and people try and SAY this or that LOOKS like my art, and its copy right protected, they have to prove, you STOLE it , or used there art.....BLIZZARD will have a tough time, since there art, looks like everything else on the marker for decades...... Now they have some key names, and story, etc, that would be easy for them to prove.... but art, no...Not unless, someone COPIED, a boss, or main character nearly the same.....with the same clothing, weapons etc...near 100%... or there about... Other wise no.. they can't do a damn thing...

    Blizzard would of been sued, if that was the case, as alot of there art, has been made years before in other games and in art in general, well before......
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2021
  12. AcidArrow

    AcidArrow

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    Right back at ya.
     
  13. Recon03

    Recon03

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    I have, but thanks and have over my career.. you?
     
  14. AcidArrow

    AcidArrow

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    I described a very specific scenario in my post you are avoiding to reply to (even though it was inspired by the sketchfab link that you posted), and are instead talking about if you could get sued by Blizzard for including generic fantasy archetypes in your game, which wasn't the argument.

    But the link you posted as an example, doesn't have generic orcs and dwarves etc, it has this:
    upload_2021-10-5_8-10-33.png

    And this:

    upload_2021-10-5_8-10-55.png

    And this:

    upload_2021-10-5_8-12-2.png

    And if I was using those in my game, I would definitely be infringing on Blizzard's copyright.
     
    bobisgod234 likes this.
  15. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    It might be worth noting that the time for refunds isn't 6 months. ln case of pirated assets it's 1 month. This is what a user posted on discord, a reply from Unity Support:

     
  16. aquandore

    aquandore

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    Is there anything suspicious about this new publisher? Maybe? Anything? Not for Unity it seems...

    Publisher: https://assetstore.unity.com/publishers/55559

    Website: www.perfect3drendering.com/

    Website Screenshots:



    This company has been making 3D designs for BUILDINGS / REAL ESTATE for several years. Now they have suddenly developed a passion for video games and are making 3D assets for games but don't mention it on their website? This are the assets “they” are selling in the Unity Asset Store:



    Unity has learned nothing from the recent incidents. One look at the company's website would have been enough to realize that it was most likely stolen assets again and probably the company's identity was stolen as well.

    UNITY PLEASE PROTECT YOUR BUYERS/CREATORS/DEVELOPERS AND CHANGE YOUR VERIFICATION PROCESS ESPECIALLY FOR NEW SELLERS!!!
     
  17. ZhavShaw

    ZhavShaw

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    I wonder how many assets I bought over the years were stolen... I wish Unity sent an email + auto refund whenever content is found to be illegal.
     
  18. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    You consistently keep on confusing "have" with "of" and "their" with "there" and neither take the advice of using proper grammar. So I guess your primary language isn't English, even though you claim so. I read the article and marked some words for you, you might want to look up their meaning:

    article.png

    Whatever you understand as "professional" like you call yourself, there are some things professionals or in general mature people don't do:

    * they don't insult others in public on any forum, like you do
    * they don't consistently claim what they do or have done, like you do. nobody actually cares, especially when those people have absolutely nothing to show
    * they use short words with content, not some lengthy blabber
    * they use disciplined language. I mean, is your "I see folks spewing crap" and many others of your outbursts really necessary on a public forum? Why the moderators tolerate your foul language is beyond me. In general once you start insulting others you've already lost the argument
    * they don't claim someone doesn't have "experience" like you claim about me without knowing anything about me or others, whoever you mean with "people like him"
    * they don't come to a platform just to insult the platform with uncivilized words while at the same time claim they use the competitive engine

    And if you say people need a lawyer, I say they don't: They need someone who wins the case. That's a difference. Having a lawyer is just not good enough. Best is to stay away from a shady path and when it comes to the Unity Asset Store be careful with what you buy and use in a game. I mean obviously, this thread is proof enough. Unity still keeps on selling obviously pirated assets. Honest customers put their hard earned money and faith into the Unity Asset Store. And they won't get it back. Neither money nor faith.

    ps: you might want to get your caps lock key fixed
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2021
  19. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    The refund doesn't matter as much as the notification. If you use pirated assets in a commercial game and Unity knows that, but doesn't inform you, it can easily result in a public scandal at the expense of the success of your game. Might as well start with a KickStarter campaign being lost because someone finds out you used stolen models in the promo video. That's a much bigger problem than the refund.
     
  20. OccularMalice

    OccularMalice

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    Best to not feed the trolls. This one seems overly hangry.
     
    Marscaleb, bobisgod234 and Rowlan like this.
  21. SickaGames1

    SickaGames1

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    Reconn does know what he is talking about and 100% knows English. He is saying unless something is 100% ripped from some place, it cannot be copyrighted. If that was the case, no dwarfs, elfs or orcs would exist anywhere on Unity. Something has to be very specific and not generalized like a lot of you are saying... If that was the case, I would say all Europeans are socialist ;)
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2021
    Recon03 and the_unity_saga like this.
  22. the_unity_saga

    the_unity_saga

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    God forbid, what if some assets have source code with closed licenses, and many of us don't know? Like, is your entire game just one decompiler away from copyright strike?

    Unity needs to offer some kind of "Stamp of approval"/"verified seller asset" mark to every asset, even if it takes 50 years, one by one, so you know what is at risk and what is not (or least at risk).
     
  23. ZhavShaw

    ZhavShaw

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    Another aspect I didn't think about. What a beautiful day
     
    mandisaw and the_unity_saga like this.
  24. OccularMalice

    OccularMalice

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    Think of the Unity asset store as a flea market. Unity runs it and even has a few of their own booths, but anyone can show up, pay a nominal fee (or in the case of Unity give them 30% of their sales), and sell their own stuff.

    Unity should be going through some kind of vetting/validation of both the assets and publishers. I know there's a process for submitting assets but not sure what the validation workflow is like. How much do they do when it comes to "is this a legitimate asset or not" or is the process merely a rubber stamp to ensure that it has a good description, photo, video, etc. and doesn't immediately crash if brought into a project?

    So over time some of the "vendors" at the flea market grow to be reputable. You've seen them at other fairs, they have business cards, a website, and you've spoken to others who have bought their products. You trust them.

    There are others that will show up one weekend and you've never heard of them. Their stuff looks too good to be true. The prices are amazing and the guy two stalls over is selling a very similar thing but charging 5x for it. Do you trust them?

    Does Unity bear some responsibility for the new vendor to ensure that they're not selling you stuff that fell of a truck. Do they bear some responsibility for the vendor that has been around forever and people trust and all of a sudden things they're selling bear a striking resemblance to someone else's work that you saw at an other flea market? Does Unity bear some responsibility to evict any bad vendors they discover are peddling stolen items and contact the people that have bought that item?

    This is the Unity asset store and these are the questions we have to ask and Unity should have answers for.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2021
    mandisaw likes this.
  25. the_unity_saga

    the_unity_saga

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    Unity license is involved in each sale, I would say yes. Unity needs to be involved in vetting items should we profit or fail to profit based of illicit goods being provided, after all, their license is involved in each use, we can't buy anything on the asset store without being a Unity user.
     
  26. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    Here's an interesting information about using a brand in a game, in this case a Ferrari in Project Cars:

    https://forum.projectcarsgame.com/showthread.php?59765-How-much-do-the-licenses-cost

    Quote:
    Puts "Supercar", "Hypercar" and whatever those copies of car brands on the Unity Asset Store are into perspective.
     
    mandisaw likes this.
  27. Marscaleb

    Marscaleb

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    I have an idea.
    What if Unity started offering sellers go through a vetting process to confirm their legitimacy? An optional thing that sellers can opt to do, and those who do get a publicly-displayed emblem to show everyone that this seller is trusted.
    Perhaps there could even be different ranks according to how verified and trusted a seller is. If I see an asset I like and see a small silver (or even gold) emblem next to the seller's name, I know that Unity has vetted this seller and I can trust that the goods they are offering are original. If I don't see such an emblem, well, maybe I'll be more critical of the deal they are offering.
    But it's optional; people don't have to go through this in order to sell, but people who want to stand out and be recognized as trustworthy can do this.

    This isn't a rating offered by customers, but a certification that comes from Unity themselves.
    It would require a fee. People selling "questionable" content wouldn't want to waste their money on this, but the serious content creators may welcome a reasonable fee to become more trusted in their customers' eyes.

    Perhaps for the more amateur creators there could even be a bronze or iron level certification they could apply for free, but they have to submit a video of them creating the asset or something like that. It would have limited range; it would only work for certain types of content and perhaps would only apply to that single asset, but it would help out the new sellers and casual creators.

    The simple truth is we will NEVER be able to stop the illegitimate sellers. And no matter how good Unity gets at policing stolen content, there will always be something that manages to sneak through, and when that happens it will ruin the trust of the store.
    We can't stop the cheats, but we can at least reward the honest and establish more trust with them.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2021
  28. AlexOvch

    AlexOvch

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    I see a lot of misunderstandings on this topic. Obvious rip and inspiration are completely different things. You can't take a model from the game and put it in stock, but you can make something similar, not a copy. And it's easy to check, the original is immediately visible, the art-inspired looks different in color palettes, shapes, techniques, topology, and so on.

    Our team does a lot of stylized art, and we carefully try not to do anything similar to blizzard/riot work. For example, everyone who played in World of warcraft loves Illidan or Arthas or any other famous hero, so you cannot make a copy of this model, since the image is clearly assigned to Blizzard. But of course, you can make a wolf or skeleton in a similar style, and that's okay.
     
  29. Marscaleb

    Marscaleb

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    I'm seeing more assets I was interested in getting taken down.

    Are there any reasonable methods to have people check some particular assets/sellers to see if they are legit? I don't mean flagging something because I have evidence they are stolen, I just mean having some more people see if they recognize the models. I'm getting paranoid because everyone making stylized fantasy creatures are getting dropped left and right.
    There are some I'm interested in getting, but... I don't know who to trust.
     
  30. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    No. At least not from Unity.

    Take e. g. Hypecom Studio from this post. While the asset got taken down:

    https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/vehicles/super-drift-cars-pack-160824

    the publisher is still active and selling another asset:

    https://assetstore.unity.com/publishers/46243

    This is the reply I got from the Unity support after I asked why that is:

    Yes, that is correct, the asset was removed, thank you for bringing this to our attention. Allow me to explain that this situation is handled by our Asset store team, they are the ones in charge of investigating these reports. As I mentioned before they will take the necessary actions, the most urgent action was removing the asset, the process was completed. They will further investigate to see if other actions are needed based on their guidelines

    I hope this clarifies the situation.

    So either the asset was taken down because of piracy or not. There is no gray area. They should have taken down the publisher until that is resolved. Or kept the other asset online. Customers keep on buying the remaining asset while time passes and they won't get their money back when or if ever the publisher gets taken down because the time limit is 1 month after purchase for pirated assets.
     
  31. Marscaleb

    Marscaleb

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    I can't really complain about that, though. The whole idea of Unity offering any refunds puts them in a tight bind. Unless Unity can get the money back from the pirate who posted the asset, anything they refund is coming out of their own pocket, from legitimately-earned sources.
    The month deadline at least (potentially) allows Unity to refund the money before it gets into the hands of the pirate.

    I mean, yeah, I want Unity to "take responsibility for this" just like everyone else, but I also don't to see Unity go under because they've been compensating everyone for goods that someone else stole.

    But back to the subject; I'd be interested in having other people take a look at some of these assets, whether officially Unity or not. But I also don't want to make a public forum post because I don't want to draw negative attention to a legitimate creator; I don't want to drag someone's name through the mud just because they are offering a good deal and don't speak English natively.
    I'm open to suggestions about how we could approach this problem; how we might be able to better evaluate these assets - at least from a community standpoint.
     
  32. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    There are some indicators:

    * asset so cheap, too good to be true and at the same time eliminating the competition
    * publisher website doesn't add up with what the publisher provides (eg some corporate website); nor does the email address add up with the publisher website
    * 1K texture resolution
    * no updates to the assets in months / years
    * flood of assets at the same time
    * very poor description
    * top-rated asset, but those who top-rated it were gifted the asset
    * no forum thread here on the unity forum, no discord, no own forum, i. e. nothing to get in public contact with the publisher

    And if some of those apply, just listen to what your gut says.
     
  33. Marscaleb

    Marscaleb

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    How many of those apply to the assets I was looking at that disappeared recently?
    I for one didn't see basically any of them.
    They were all priced reasonably close to the market standard, especially for models that were lower-poly and not intended for close-ups.
    Sure the "No updates" thing applied but it's not so relevant to character models. Old models still work fine with modern Unity; there are not scripts that need to be updated.
    "Very poor description" and "no forum" are aspects of someone who doesn't speak good English.
    It would be more effective to point out what country the publisher lives in, but that's far from an effective metric, and relying on it would only discourage the honest sales.

    What I'm really wanting is another pair of eyes to look over these models; someone who could recognize the source they came from were they stolen. But as I pointed out earlier, I don't see an effective way to do this.
     
  34. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    Which assets? Which publisher? Some publishers just leave.
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2021
  35. WindyVillage

    WindyVillage

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    Today, JJ Studio gone.
    Asset Store (unity.com)
    All of their Assets become "Unavailable" to download.

    Their Assets are really good.
    The price also high, Good description and artwork.
    They updated assets regular, more and more asset come every month.
    They also updated old asset (I bought a generic-animation character, a few month later they update humanoid version)


    upload_2021-10-18_10-1-17.png

    His sketchfab page still alive: 3D models by jjstudio222 (@jjstudio222) - Sketchfab
    I bought alot of asset from this publisher. And spent a lot of time to put them in my asian-style game.
    I dont know what happen. But Unity, please say something about this. I dont need a refund, but I must know if I can use these assets or not. I dont want to receive a dcma takedown when I publish my game!
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2021
  36. WindyVillage

    WindyVillage

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    Today I write an email to JJ Studio, as the post above. And got a reply:

    CDE5035D-1150-4508-84E9-28D82A0A9520.jpeg

    So Unity now temporary disable all the assets they suspected. I hope they will give publishers chance to explain. In case that assets illegal, Unity should notify all the buyer, so we will not use these assets in commercial games.
     
  37. Marscaleb

    Marscaleb

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    I'm going to be honest here, JJ Studio is one I was honestly surprised to see taken down. I'm inclined to believe that they are honest. But, well, I don't have any evidence either way. I probably would have thought the same for ArtCoding.

    As I believe I have stated before, I think this is the wrong way to go about this, They shouldn't be outright taking assets down, but they should have a message or banner on the asset's page that states that the asset is under investigation. Let people see the assets, favorite it, bookmark it, etc. If it turns out to be legitimate, I may want to buy it. Burying it like this is treating it like it is unquestionably a stolen asset. I feel for JJ Studio because from their perspective (and ours) it looks like Unity has already passed judgement.
    Is there even a third party someone can appeal through? Reach out to the BBB or anything? What kind of accountability does Unity have?

    I'm not a fan of this guilty until proven guilty crap.
     
  38. dpennell

    dpennell

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    Well the thing is some artists who create models. Retain the rights to do what they want with their work. And just because 1 game or a company uses that work. That artist may have the rights to resell that piece of work again. And some artists even have agreements with companies. That they wont resell their models until a certain time frame has ended. Everyone may see some models in other things. However unless you know what a artist has agreed to in contract. Then you wont know if the artist has the right to resell his work. The best way to find out if artwork is stolen. Is to find out who the artist was who created it in the first place. And then find out if it is the same artist who may be selling it.
     
  39. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    Not suspicious. At all. How does this make it into the Unity Asset Store?

    Car Pack - Vehicles #1

    "Note: Due to Asset Store restrictions, Brands, Logos & Names are not included." o_O


    a.png
    b.png
    c.jpg
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2021
  40. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    That didn't take long. I got informed that those cars may have been extracted from Forza. Which is actually an interesting point. May or may not. But what would happen if someone sent that information to Microsoft? The visuals match. As they would with any other racing game that uses licenses of car manufacturers.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2021
  41. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    Mark_01 likes this.
  42. Olivierlr

    Olivierlr

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    Same thing here - Unity needs to quickly provide clarity on their evaluation process and not let their customers hang dry - The Asset Store is contributing to the overall success of Unity and mostly used by "Indies" so seeing Unity washing off their hands claiming all the onus is on the purchaser of the asset is disgraceful. I've spent $1000's on assets other the years and put some trust in Unity to provide a safe environment - How foolish of me...

    Assets from momomo seems to be in the same boat https://assetstore.unity.com/packag...ium=affiliate&utm_source=partnerize-linkmaker
    Legitimate? Not Legitimate? Anyone knows?

    Unity please make the effort to publish assets/publishers banned or being investigated and notify your customers who bought these.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2021
    Marscaleb likes this.
  43. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    Here's what Unity support replied after I asked them if they can vouch for that publisher:

    In regards to your query; Unity Technologies have not made, and are unable to make, any conclusive determination on whether the sellers genuinely owned the content being sold.

    The publishers of the Asset Store are providers of the asset's license, and they agree upon submitting their product that they own all rights and license to sell these assets.

    Therefore, you may also want to reach out to the Licensor (roxionclub@gmail.com) to seek additional assurances.

    TL;DR: what the publisher says must be true and Unity doesn't care what they sell because of their "license" ...
     
  44. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    I reported that Car Pack and this is what I got back as answer:

    I have checked the assets of the publisher Digital Moon and they seem to be authentic. mostly all assets that are posted on our Asset Store webpage are verified by our curators once they are submitted and they must meet some requirements to pass the evaluation.

    In this case, everything seems to be working properly with this publisher and assets but please feel free to contact us back should you have additional proofs as external links or similar, we will be here for you!
     
  45. Marscaleb

    Marscaleb

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    Which is BULLCRAP because they completely hide these publishers, so nobody but Unity even has their contact info!

    And even if they did display it, how many people are sending requests to that seller? Many of these sellers are just individuals, and they do not have the time/resources to reply to a dozen people sending them messages about this, especially when they are not even natively speaking the same language.

    This is NOT ACCEPTABLE BUSINESS PRACTICE. At the very least Unity needs to be keeping people informed about these assets.
    I'll agree that there is a limit to how much responsibility Unity needs to take over this matter; it is not their fault that other people tried to sell stolen goods through their store, and there are FAR too many games in the world for anyone to be able to properly police what may be stolen.
    But when a notable claim of infringement has been made, Unity needs to keep people (or AT LEAST the people who have bought the asset) informed about what is going on.

    Look, people who are straight-up thieves are going to ghost everyone, but if a small studio or individual has to respond to dozens upon dozens of messages from people (who likely don't all speak the same language) then those sellers won't be able to respond to all those inquires, and will effectively ghost everyone without meaning to.
    But if instead Unity reached out to these people directly, and kept a record of that publicly available to all who purchased the asset, then people can see for themselves what is going on. If I look at a page for an asset I bought, and Unity says "we reached out to this seller on this date and this date and we have received no response" - then okay, now I know they are ghosting the store, so they are probably thieves.
    Or alternatively they could say "We are discussing this matter with the seller; our last message was on (three days ago)" - then okay, I know it's being worked on. And at some point when there is a resolution or an end of communication, Unity can give a synopsis to let me know what to expect. Maybe I still need to reach out to the seller to request a refund, or maybe something else.
    But the point is AS BUYERS WE NEED TO BE INFORMED.
     
    the_unity_saga and WizzleOfOZ like this.
  46. WizzleOfOZ

    WizzleOfOZ

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    Unity is handling this situation very poorly as is their response to my email requesting a refund for assets they have removed. A measly 20% discount does not compensate for the money lost due to negligence on Unity's part. Unity is saying I am outside of the refund frame, I have spent well over $4000 dollars in assets on the unity store in the past years, how much more money invested will I be losing due to this incident being very unpleasantly handled by unity. In no way are unity customers being properly compensated for this. As for Unity not giving notification to it's customers this clearly shows they are trying to keep this situation hush hush, as I am sure they are not trying to go through the similar incident that happened with Amazon, which is the act of profiting off of stolen goods.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2021
    illusionarium and the_unity_saga like this.
  47. Rowlan

    Rowlan

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    Realistic Car Pack - Vehicle #2 is out. Seriously, does this make sense to anyone? It's quite the opposite now, I'd like to see proof that those weren't ripped.

    cp1.png

    Obviously copies of brands:

    cp2.png

    With that kind of interior per car:
    cp3.png
     
    StevenPicard likes this.
  48. vertexx

    vertexx

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    Please bear with me on this. When assets are removed from the Store, are they also removed from your C: drive or whatever drive they are sent to on "download"? Or does one still have access to these ripped models if they have already been saved locally?
     
  49. WindyVillage

    WindyVillage

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    Assets are still on your local computer. And you can still import and use it manually.
     
  50. vertexx

    vertexx

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    Thanks. Is it still "legal" to use them? Are there risks involved for non commercial use? Are there risks for anyone using these assets commercially?
     
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