A few more issues:

In regards to movies:
Companies (such as Chevy and Lockheed) can get millions of dollars' worth in advertising. Just look at the Chevy/ Transformers commercials on TV. In this case, Chevy could work a deal with the movies studio and neither would have to pay the other any licensing fees.

The "it's different" defense:
Yes, I could spend all day saying how my helicopter was built using an Airwolf plastic model and the "Airwolf Flight Manual". I'll freely admit that I've never taken any measurements from an actual helicopter, nor have I even stepped in a helicopter to research building a 3d model.
So, yes, obviously, my models are not exact replicas of the real world item. Are they close enough for digital artists' use? Absolutely.

Actually, in some cases, the models are slightly "wrong" so they can work in a specific program. Does a real Blackhawk Helicopter have "body parts"? Of course not, but you need them on a Poser figure file so the parts will move.

Plus, does anyone really expect a digital model to include every single nut and bolt from the real vehicle? Can anyone accurately model (and texture) the interior of an F-22 aircraft when it's probably classified as Top Secret?

However, using this defense means that you have to take the case far enough to actually use a defence. Lockheed, like all corporations, can easily out-spend any person before the case even gets put on a court docket (if a court will even hear the case).

So, even though I never claim that my models are perfectly exact replicas, can I afford the $10,000 or $20,000 (for example) to hire a lawyer and file a legal defense? Can TurboSquid afford to do this?
Do anyone of us want to put up with the stress of fighting a legal battle over the sake of some digital models? Yes, there's the principle of the issue, but still.

Anyway, it wasn't my intention to start a debate on whether Lockheed can or can not copyright the design of their aircraft. Maybe they can't own a copyright since the design of an aircraft is for the US government or maybe they can since they put their time and enery into research and development.

I posted the message to let everyone know that Lockheed had filed a takedown notice at TurboSquid. Will they come after other sites? Will other companies do the same thing? Will we finally see a crackdown on all "looks like" products?
And will the 3d industry become like the plastic model industry, where any "looks like" product must be officially licensed and royalties must be paid to the original company?

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