Is Thingiverse's Business Model a Bad One?

[SimianSteam]

There's a difference between asking for a little money for the work we do and "locking down designs". Designers shouldn't have to rely on charity, or beg for tips - if I work hard making something that's useful to others, then just like anybody else who does useful work that helps a lot of people, it should do more for me than buy an occasional coffee.

You say you "loathe" capitalism, but a business model which has people giving away their labor for the benefit of a large private corporation is a capitalist's wet dream. Why is it so important that more people get into 3D printing, if all the benefit goes to the capitalists?

Andrew Werby
Juxtamorph.com

And why should the benefits go to a large corporation? People CHOOSE to use Thingiverse. There are alternatives out there, and if the designers start uploading to them instead of Thingiverse then Makerbot doesn't get crap.

It's the freaking internet. We can easily share information without funding parasitic corporations (well, besides the ISPs, but that's another rant...). MakerBot set up a flashy interface and people flocked to it. Now they're patenting work that isn't theirs and some are flipping out... and people are still flocking to Thingiverse.

I'm just getting started, but you better believe if/when I come up with a model worthy of sharing it's not going to be there.

3D printing should be about breaking away from big business and manufacturing what we need ourselves, not just another revenue stream.