Legal
Library rules and licenses
What you may share in LibraryCraft, under which licenses, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Contributing items
Upload only what you have the right to share: your own drawings and models, items you made from a maker's published dimensions (data only, never a copied drawing), the maker's own content if you are the maker, or items from a free library whose license allows redistribution.
Content from a paid or subscription library can only go into your team library, with the "Licensed to your team only" license, and only if your license allows sharing it inside your firm. It is never published to everyone.
Every upload asks you to confirm: "I have the right to share this under the license I chose, and the attribution is correct." We keep that confirmation with the version.
A first public upload is checked by a person before it appears. Every version also gets automatic checks: the file converts, the item passes the format rules, files are within the size limits, and exact duplicates are flagged for review.
Licenses
Each version carries one license from the list on this page. There are no non-commercial licenses: anything in the public library can be used in paid work.
Changing an item's license makes a new version. People who already used an earlier version keep the license they got it under.
Copy attribution on an item gives you the credit line (title, author, source, license), including the items it was based on.
| License | What it allows | Public library | Team library | Bounties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication)Full text | Anyone may use, change and share it for any purpose, with no conditions. Credit is welcome but not required. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CC BY 4.0 (credit the author)Full text | Anyone may use, change and share it for any purpose, as long as they credit the author and link the license. Name the author when you use it. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CC BY 3.0 (credit the author)Full text | Anyone may use, change and share it for any purpose, as long as they credit the author, link the license and say if they changed it. Name the author when you use it. | Yes | Yes | No |
| CC BY-SA 4.0 (credit; share changes alike)Full text | Anyone may use, change and share it, crediting the author; changed copies must be shared under the same license. Name the author when you use it. | Yes | Yes | No |
| The maker's own terms | Published by the maker under the maker's own terms. Read them at the link before you use the item. Name the author when you use it. Only a verified maker account can choose it, with a link to the terms. | Yes | Yes | No |
| Licensed to your team only | For use inside your team only, for example content from a subscription library your firm licenses. Never shared publicly. | No | Yes | No |
Where items come from
Every upload says where its content comes from. We keep the answer with the version.
| Source | What that means |
|---|---|
| I drew or modelled it myself | Your own work. |
| I made it from the maker's published dimensions or spec sheet | Data only: dimensions and ratings, never a copied drawing. |
| I am, or represent, the maker | Needs a maker-verified account. |
| It comes from a free library that allows redistribution | Under one of the licenses above. The source link is required. |
| It comes from a paid or subscription library | Only for your team library with the "Licensed to your team only" license, and only if your license allows sharing inside your firm. |
A public upload whose source is a paid or subscription library is refused, whatever license is chosen. If your firm's license lets you share that content inside the firm, put it in your team library with the "Licensed to your team only" license. We don't copy or integrate any paid library; files you already have are read only when you upload them.
Copyright and takedown
If you believe an item copies your work, use "Report a problem" on the item and choose Copyright, or write to us through the support form with the topic "Copyright or takedown". Tell us which item, what work it copies and how to reach you.
A copyright report from a signed-in account hides the item's files at once while we look into it. A person then either restores the item or withdraws it. Withdrawn items can no longer be downloaded.
The person who uploaded the item is told and can answer with a counter-statement on their item page. We tell both sides how it was resolved.
Bounties
Staff sometimes post a bounty: a reward for a library item we need. A bounty appears in the library only when it has been posted with a real amount. How they work:
- Staff decide every award.
- The work must be your own or made from public spec data.
- A bounty item must be published under CC0 or CC BY.
- Payment is arranged by email after an award. Nothing is paid automatically and we do not collect bank details on this site.
- You are responsible for your taxes, and we may ask for tax information before paying.
- Bounties can be withdrawn before an award.
Anyone signed in can ask for an item on the requests page; requests carry no money, but staff may turn one into a bounty.