heaps of new models

[cfuruti]

Originally Posted by Mike1158

.... If they want so much to 'sell' me someone else's software...

Perhaps I misunderstood you? No one, most probably including the site, wants to convince you to use Pepakura instead of, say, Adobe Reader. It's just that PDO is the de facto standard format for distributing paper models in a way that:

• allows easy 3D visualization, even displaying the final model's dimensions
• easily identifies where each will part will end, therefore in most cases making instructions unnecessary
• enables customization (in case of unlocked models and for Pepakura Designer users)
• again for unlocked models, allows easily changing textures - therefore a single 3D model can have different insignia/camouflage pattern/squadron markings/facial expression/whatever

[Mike1158]

Nothing to do with pepakura, the sites have 'download' links for pdf and other software. No interest whatsoever in acquiring more software, especially when they have to camouflage it as a 'model' download. No need to keep advertising pepakura either as I will not be using it.

[Maltedfalcon]

Originally Posted by Yale

Willy, piracy would be an issue if the site gave away free the same models being sold elsewhere. But this site seems to be one of many (e.g., SS42 and Papercraft Museum) that merely shunt you to the freebies of various other sites. It's analogous to US court rulings that you can't complain if somebody takes things from your trash -- by putting them there, you've declared that they have no value, so there's no theft. Note, too, that PaperCraftSquare dos not give away these models directly -- it instead gives you the link to the models' original sites.

The trash analogy is totally misplaced, as in this instance nothing has been abandoned or thrown away.

yes its totally legal, but kind of low class. By being a linking directly to models like that you bypass all the other parts of the website that the modeler put up there. If the modeler gets paid from analytics, advertisements or site hits, by linking directly to the model you just ensured he would not get "paid" for those downloads The aggregator is stealing site traffic. While the current copyright laws allow it. at some point it will be illegal.

[cfuruti]

Originally Posted by Mike1158

Nothing to do with pepakura, the sites have 'download' links for pdf and other software. No interest whatsoever in acquiring more software, especially when they have to camouflage it as a 'model' download. No need to keep advertising pepakura either as I will not be using it.

Oh, about download links - I guess that's how that and many other sites work - gather a lot of links, then get revenue from advertisements and click counts. Some sites (I don't know about that one in particular) have no compunctions about easing piracy, and usually defend themselves arguing they get no profit, just facilitate sharing by concentrating information.

"Advertising"? If you're referring to our answers, there's a difference between

• advertising something with some interest and
• helpfully trying to explain how said thing's virtues might be worth some "nuisance", to quote your original post.