# Holy crap, plagiarized by the US Marines! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148 "2017-08-31T05:16:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/21 "2017-08-31T15:54:25Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > It’s identical in every detail except that he mounted the motor on the nose by omitting the nose cone and bolting it directly to the front bulkhead, the redesign being comprised of drilling four holes there. The other difference is that he appears to have glued a camera pod on the bottom. :smack: > > Both changes do nothing but screw up the design, I placed the motor on the rear so that a camera could be mounted on the nose with an undisturbed field of view (not to mention that a belly mounted camera on a plane with no landing gear is a recipe for broken cameras), also mounting the motor on the rear minimizes RF interference that could affect the R/C, GPS and video downlink signals. \So, he didn’t strictly copy your design, but came up with a derived work?\Still your original Creative Commons license included both Attribution and Non-Commercial clauses, so the “My brainchild!!” claim would be strictly verboten, and I doubt the USMC would be directly fabricating this in production so contracting for manufacturing would probably run afoul of “non-commercial”. The major wrinkle would be sustaining the claim of infringement unless you could find evidence that Cpl. Brain Boy accessed Thingiverse and downloaded the design. Because otherwise, a claim of independent development and convergent design might seem credible to a jury (assuming it gets to that level). ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/22 "2017-08-31T16:11:39Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Also the “V tail” is flipped over. The final design iteration had a normal V-Tail, that is the one that is currently available for download. [You can see it on the video of the first test flight.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf5Z83dHrow) That is the configuration used for the “Scout”, except for the motor being on the nose. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Don’t know which Autodesk address you e-mailed, but you might want to try [pier9residency@autodesk.com](mailto:pier9residency@autodesk.com), as found [here](https://www.autodesk.com/pier-9/residency/residents/rhet-mcneal). > > Also, want to see [a photo of the back of his head](http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-lance-cpl-rhet-mcneal-an-anti-tank-missile-man-with-combined-anti-129772424.html)? > [EMAIL=“[pier9residency@autodesk.com](mailto:pier9residency@autodesk.com)”] Yes, I sent an e-mail to that address earlier today, Autodesk is using this for PR so that’s something that needs to be cleared up: [Meet “Scout,” a 3D printed drone designed here at Autodesk’s San Francisco Pier 9 Technology Center by Marine Rhet McNeal.](https://plus.google.com/+autodeskrecap) > [@gnoitall](#): > > \So, he didn’t strictly copy your design, but came up with a derived work?\Still your original Creative Commons license included both Attribution and Non-Commercial clauses, so the “My brainchild!!” claim would be strictly verboten, and I doubt the USMC would be directly fabricating this in production so contracting for manufacturing would probably run afoul of “non-commercial”. > > The major wrinkle would be sustaining the claim of infringement unless you could find evidence that Cpl. Brain Boy accessed Thingiverse and downloaded the design. Because otherwise, a claim of independent development and convergent design might seem credible to a jury (assuming it gets to that level). About an hour ago I went through the messages I received in Thingiverse, the site that hosts the files, I found that McNeal did actually ask me for some additional files last year, the username was a combination his two initials and a string of numbers, but following the username to the user profile showed the full name. So… yeah, there’s no unscrewing that pooch. I sent a message to the guy to see how he can right the wrong he did. Let’s see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/23 "2017-08-31T16:31:30Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > I sent a message to the guy to see how he can right the wrong he did. Let’s see what happens. If somebody knocks on your door claiming to have a Candygram, don’t open it! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/24 "2017-08-31T16:51:44Z")
Heh. How the worm turns. I’d say give everyone involved a decent 10-count to acknowledge the issue and do something approximating the right thing. And if that doesn’t happen, find a nice tech media outlet who would enjoy embarrassing a multi-billion dollar tech company and an organ of the State for sponsoring piracy. Also, you might be able to stir up some righteous geek indignation by pointing out how the CC license is being trampled. As rabid as Autodesk has traditionally been about its own IP, you’d think they’d be a little sensitive to the PR blowback possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/25 "2017-08-31T16:57:30Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > And if that doesn’t happen, find a nice tech media outlet who would enjoy embarrassing a multi-billion dollar tech company and an organ of the State for sponsoring piracy. I was thinking Corey Doctorow/Boing Boing. Or Slashdot. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/26 "2017-08-31T17:52:31Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > If somebody knocks on your door claiming to have a Candygram, don’t open it! Never mind that, should I be worried about being hoisted by my own petard? **Scans the sky nervously** ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/27 "2017-08-31T17:55:41Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Heh. How the worm turns. > > I’d say give everyone involved a decent 10-count to acknowledge the issue and do something approximating the right thing. And if that doesn’t happen, find a nice tech media outlet who would enjoy embarrassing a multi-billion dollar tech company and an organ of the State for sponsoring piracy. > > Also, you might be able to stir up some righteous geek indignation by pointing out how the CC license is being trampled. > > As rabid as Autodesk has traditionally been about its own IP, you’d think they’d be a little sensitive to the PR blowback possibilities. Yes, that’s what I did with the e-mails I sent, encourage people to start a dialog to set things right in a gentlemanly manner. So far only Autodesk has given me an answer and it was basically a CYA saying they just provided the tools. I pointed out that as it may be still they are using this for PR and what about that? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/28 "2017-08-31T20:30:00Z")
BTW, Ale, does the quoted price of $613 per unit sound right to you? I don’t know anything about the cost of the printing or the electronics, but that seems high to me. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/29 "2017-08-31T22:48:13Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I was thinking Corey Doctorow/Boing Boing. Or Slashdot. The person I’d contact is Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, host of _Know How_ on the [Twit.tv](http://Twit.tv) podcast network. His Twitter handle is @padre, SJ. His show is all about 3D printing and building drones (he’s sometimes known as the “Quad Father”). ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/30 "2017-08-31T23:10:19Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > The person I’d contact is Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, host of _Know How_ on the [Twit.tv](http://Twit.tv) podcast network. His Twitter handle is @padre, SJ. His show is all about 3D printing and building drones (he’s sometimes known as the “Quad Father”). Quoting myself, his Twitter handle doens’t have a space in it - @padresj. I figure this is his beat, the conjunction of 3D printing, drones and the moral issue of taking someone elses work without attribution. He hosts several shows on Twit and his page is [Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ](https://twit.tv/people/fr-robert-ballecer-sj) ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/31 "2017-08-31T23:26:16Z")
One last thing, I know you’re pissed, but this could mean a court martial for the Marine in question (unless they have their own special term for it.) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/32 "2017-08-31T23:36:01Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > The person I’d contact is Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, host of _Know How_ on the [Twit.tv](http://Twit.tv) podcast network. His Twitter handle is @padre, SJ. His show is all about 3D printing and building drones (he’s sometimes known as the “Quad Father”). I’ve been reading this thread, and if the story pans out, I would expect you could get interest from a media source with a higher profile than just a podcast. In short, why waste such a good story on a podcast when you could get coverage, say, in the Military Times, Wired Magazine, or even The New York Times. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/33 "2017-08-31T23:45:15Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > The person I’d contact is Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, host of _Know How_ on the [Twit.tv](http://Twit.tv) podcast network. His Twitter handle is @padre, SJ. His show is all about 3D printing and building drones (he’s sometimes known as the “Quad Father”). > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’ve been reading this thread, and if the story pans out, I would expect you could get interest from a media source with a higher profile than just a podcast. In short, why waste such a good story on a podcast when you could get coverage, say, in the Military Times, Wired Magazine, or even The New York Times. It’s the most popular show on Leo LaPorte’s podcast network which produces 50+ hours of programming every week generating [more than ten million a year in revenue.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWiT.tv) To call it a “just a podcast” is a little silly. I mentioned Padre simply because he knows both 3D printing and drones, and presumably can speak authoritatively about the moral issues as well. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/34 "2017-08-31T23:57:58Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > One last thing, I know you’re pissed, but this could mean a court martial for the Marine in question (unless they have their own special term for it.) How would that change anything? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/35 "2017-09-01T00:04:10Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > How would that change anything? Potentially ending someone’s career? I have no idea what penalties exist for violations of the Marine’s moral code, or even if plagiarism is a violation of it. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/36 "2017-09-01T00:04:19Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > One last thing, I know you’re pissed, but this could mean a court martial for the Marine in question (unless they have their own special term for it.) Oh well. The first of the Marine Corps core values is “honor”. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/37 "2017-09-01T00:20:10Z")
And if the Marine in question actually did swipe the design, I want him out of the Corps. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/38 "2017-09-01T00:20:57Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Potentially ending someone’s career? I have no idea what penalties exist for violations of the Marine’s moral code, or even if plagiarism is a violation of it. He’s the one responsible for that. All Ale would be doing is reporting the facts and trying to get restitution. It was his action that would violate the code, and his action that would lead to his punishment. I do not like the argument of acting like the messenger is the cause. The fault is on the guy who breaks the rule/law, not the person who reports that they did so. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/39 "2017-09-01T00:23:55Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Potentially ending someone’s career? I have no idea what penalties exist for violations of the Marine’s moral code, or even if plagiarism is a violation of it. I don’t know either, and furthermore, I don’t think I, or you, or **Ale** , needs to know. The marine who submitted this design? He’s the one who should know that. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148/40 "2017-09-01T00:24:32Z")
I’m seriously considering emailing this guy so he can join the thread and share his side of this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-plagiarized-by-the-us-marines/795148.md?page=3)