Intellectual Property Policy

How to report infringement, and what happens next. Last updated: September 2026.

GarageLayer respects the intellectual property of others and expects its members to do the same. This policy explains what we treat as infringement, how to report it, what happens next, and what happens to repeat infringers. It covers copyright (design files, photos, descriptions) as well as other rights such as trademarks.

Filing a notice

Rights holders — or people authorized to act for them — report through the IP report form. The fastest way is from the listing itself: open the part and press IP report next to “Report this part”, which fills in the listing automatically. A complete notice includes:

• The listing you want removed (URL or part name).
• The original work (URL where your design was published).
• A description of what is being copied and why you believe it infringes.
• Supporting pictures, where helpful — side-by-side comparisons resolve fastest.
• Who holds the rights (you, or the person/company you represent).
• Your declaration, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized by the rights holder, its agent, or the law.

Incomplete notices — missing original-work link, no description, no declaration — may be rejected without review.

What happens next

• We review every complete notice: the original against the listing, the license, the history.
• Listings under review may be hidden until we decide.
• Valid complaints lead to removal (takedown). Unfounded ones are rejected and the listing stays up. You can follow the status of your filings on the IP reports page.
• Indexed listings are special: removing one here deletes our index entry and its cached thumbnail. The design stays on its source site (Thingiverse, Printables, MakerWorld, Cults3D) — contact that host as well to have it removed at the origin.

If your part was taken down

If you believe your listing was removed by mistake, appeal from the IP reports page: open the rejected filing and explain why it should be restored. Appeals with new information get a fresh review; bare “please put it back” appeals don't. Abusing the appeal process counts against the account the same as repeat infringement.

Repeat infringers

Members who repeatedly upload or index infringing material lose upload access, and accounts built for infringement are suspended or banned. We keep records of valid complaints to enforce this.

Misuse

The perjury declaration exists to deter false reports: knowingly filing a false notice can carry legal liability. If you're not sure something infringes — similar-looking parts, common brackets, independent designs — ask us through a support ticket before filing.

No account? Email us

Rights holders and source-site authors without a GarageLayer account can reach us directly: support@garagelayer.com. Include the listing URL, the original work URL, and a description of the problem — the same information the report form asks for.

Questions? Open a support ticket.