Ponoko's Photomake: If You Can Draw It, They Can Make It

I'm confused about this...they make things for you out of plastic? Is it recycled or salvaged from somewhere? I love the idea of bringing my designs to life, but I'm confused about Treehugger pimping brand new items made from plastic...

**Author's comments**

Hi Becky,

Thanks for your comment. Ponoko offers a handful of materials too numerous to list here. The real green thrust of their model is bigger than just materials; it's about de-centralizing and localizing the design and manufacturing process (they're based in san francisco) -- rather than having your objects designed in the U.S., the materials sourced in Europe, manufactured in China and shipped back, everything can take place stateside. Plus, with the mass customization element, you get to decide exactly what you want -- rather than having a store manager decide for you -- and that increases the likelihood that you'll find the object really functional, and will use it and keep it for a long time. You like stuff better when you have exactly what you want, right?

Thanks again for your comment!

-CD

I wonder how long it will take for someone to send in M.C. Escher's "Relativity" and say make that.

Quick question .... the following was information included in a Ponoko related post

(full disclosure: head TreeHugger Graham Hill is now on their Board of Advisors)

Is it still true? If so why isn't there a similar disclosure in this post?

**Author's comment**

Oops, right you are. It is true, and the post has been changed to reflect it.

-CD

wait... I'm confused, how do they protect copyright here? So I could take someone's drawing and make a doll without their permission?
/confused.

i think that the idea of de-centralizing manufacturing is valid. in cases like this, where the design and manufacturing process is made very easy to anyone, will people just be encouraged to make useless crap that they ordinarily wouldn't have? how about people just make things themselves? maybe the effort and time needed to make things act as a filter to determine whether they are worth having or not.

@lorigama

Yes you could, but if Ponoko was aware it was a copyrighted and/or trademarked work then they should refuse to produce your item.

If on the other hand it is a legally allowable derivative work of a copyrighted/trademarked work they should allow production. For example; Harry Potter dolls that look like the movie actors/or book art should not be produced but Scarry Dotter* a public domain work ( or certain open source art works ) "evil-not-twin" parody-based derivative dolls should be produced.

One other note** - Ponoko is not required by copyright law to ascertain that everything you ask them to "make a doll of" is your work, so some lessor know artists work might be ripped off by unscrupulous people using Ponoko. When the artist finds out that Ponoko is making dolls of their work for the unscrupulous ... they legally can go after the unscrupulous for ripping off their work, if the subsequent dolls were sold commercially by the unscrupulous -- the civil court damages, fines and jail time can be very painful. If it was just a one-off for a birthday present -- the artist might just send you a letter asking "Why?"

* I used Scary Dotter the "evil-not-twin" as an imaginary example -- I don't know of any derivative character or art work based on Harry Potter known as Scary Dotter.

**A significant and integral part of a copyright holder's duties is to protect their own work.

Hi there everyone,

I think you have some really important comments about Ponoko.

First off - materials. I agree! We need greener materials. We've been so very busy focusing on solving the biggest green issues in trad manufacturing (transport, storage, waste) with our on-demand making and trying to make distributed manufacturing happen, that our tiny team have found it really tough to add new materials. But your concerns are ours too.

So we've been working on a big change about how we do materials at Ponoko. Please stay tuned at our site. We hope you like it. And I'd love it if you could point out some of your favorite suppliers of greener plastics. Also, if you're passionate and want to show people how good greener materials are, feel free to make contact with us - we're very keen to get some things made and showcased.

Next - copyright. Being creative people ourselves this is dear to our hearts. We don't like our ideas being ripped off, although sometimes it can be flattering in an odd kinda way. BUT with Ponoko you are in complete control of your copyright. If you want to keep your creations secret, you can. In fact our system is setup so this is the default situation. And if you want to share them with others, you can. Like on any other website where you display your creativity, it's completely up to you - you're in control.

So please do contact me at Ponoko and we'll get cracking with you on this.

Derek from Ponoko

Thanks for all the feedback, Derek! I definitely look forward to hearing about your plans for materials! :)

This is a brilliant move... very cool, simple and accessable, I'm going to whip a sketch I have out now,

Now having little pieces of uniqueness all over the house is as easy as taking a snap of my visual art diary

awesome stuff

This is a brilliant move... very cool, simple and accessable, I'm going to whip a sketch I have out now,

Now having little pieces of uniqueness all over the house is as easy as taking a snap of my visual art diary

awesome stuff

The real green thrust of their model is bigger than just materials; it's about de-centralizing and localizing the design and manufacturing process (they're based in san francisco) -- rather than having your objects designed in the U.S., the materials sourced in Europe, manufactured in China and shipped back, everything can take place stateside.

I thought they were based in New Zealand? I have used Ponoko and found the service admirable but the shipping from the states is why I would not use them again. Not everyone lives near San Francisco.