TurboSquid merrily helping to sell stolen content... again

TurboSquid merrily helping to sell stolen content... again

LDAsh's picture

Well, this time it's Yughues/Nobiax stuff, so it's kinda pretty freakin' obvious...

 

http://www.turbosquid.com/FullPreview/Index.cfm/ID/1040263

(if this page doesn't read "Sci Fi v2 or other scene texture 3D HD" by "rudy89" it's because TurboSquid already removed the content and changed the page to redirect under our noses, as they always do *I'll explain below why.  See if the 'ID' matches the URL.)

 = http://opengameart.org/content/tilling-textures-pack-07

 

I decided to take a shot of this as it can be seen at the moment I'm posting this - http://www.violae.net/temp/TSmerrily.png

 

So the reason I'm posting this at all is 1st so we can admire the BALLS of this "rudy89" (http://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Artists/rudy89) for trying to make some quick bucks (along with TurboSquid) selling the work of one of the most well-known and appreciated artists in the indie gamedev scene.  I love the dude's pic down there too, he's like "aw man, I wonder how long I'm going to get away with this shit for, as I watch the pennies roll in"...  We can also check back on this "seller" to see if TurboSquid only removes a couple of his "wares" that have been reported, or if the dude gets completely nuked or not.

 

2nd - a warning to anyone who might, does or has before "done business" with TurboSquid.  Think carefully and check all your purchases.  Here's what they do - they get away with it for as long as they possibly can, then remove it at the last moment and DO NOT tell their customers about what happened.  Because, you know, they might be liable or something.  If you go to your "Downloads" section ("My Files") you will see your purchases still listed, complete with thumbnail, and feel assured everything is still okay, but if you click on the item title and try to visit the page (ID) of your purchase and it has been removed, it will redirect to something else.  They will never tell you it has been removed and you will NEVER get your money back.  They hope you will never check and never know, so you don't end up thinking you can annoy them about it.  I personally was extremely lucky to get some replacement items for a fairly recent purchase, but only after a lot of persistence about it.  The people in their support were trying everything possible to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal, "just use it anyway" is basically what they were telling me, "you paid us for it, therefore you own it and can use it commercially"...  Riiiiiiiight...  I had to argue semantics with them over a number of days just about that basic subject alone, before they reluctantly admitted they didn't know what they were talking about.  I told them I actually read their terms and conditions, that shut them up about it.  They eventually offered me what they call "SquidBucks" which is only good for I think 3 items of the entire refund value, which at the time was like $150US, so I had to figure out what to purchase to cover that, but ultimately couldn't really round out the original value, so they technically squeezed even more money out of me.

 

So, just be careful with these guys at TurboSquid.  They really don't give a damn and they know full-well what they're doing.  A couple of years ago I saw some UT2004 textures on there and reported it to them, and they treated me like some trouble-maker.  Think twice and fully check the reputation of the seller on there before throwing your money at them, and if you already have, then keep checking back into your "Downloads" (check the URLs of your items) and if you get redirected, then don't feel confident about trying to use that content in any releases.

 

I urge every customer to do that, and also urge everyone who frequents that site who sees stolen content to report it, because these guys are making money off stolen content, and their customers will never see that money back again.  I've read many times online how TurboSquid is supposed to be some reputable place to outsource content, like "if you really wanna be sure", and I'd like to see an end to that myth.