The knowledge that MakerBot has apparently patented designs given to them by their community is spreading and some folks are upset.
The cartoon above by Anthony Clark represents the feelings of many designers.
Here we see the reaction of Thingiverse designer Ubermeisters, who has changed the object image on their 3D models to the above call for a Thingiverse boycott. In fact, Ubermeisters also changed the text on the entries to read:
This illegal, immoral, and undeniable. several examples of prior art exist just within the confines of Thingiverse.com, and I am no longer supporting this website with traffic from my model being shared.
So it may be that Thingiverse’s momentum may slow as a result of this incident, at least among its original users. New MakerBot customers may know nothing about this and due to the strong integration of MakerBot’s new Gen5 hardware and software with Thingiverse, the site may continue to grow without the DIYers.
Via Thingiverse