Corporate Wars: Why Warhammer and Other Franchise Models Disappear
It often goes like this: you find a great Warhammer 40k model dump, save the link, and a week later the channel or Cults3D page is gone.
Why does this happen?
Large companies (especially Games Workshop, Sony, Nintendo) have entire departments of lawyers and bots. They constantly scan the internet. As soon as they find their models or very similar copies (even if the model is changed by 10–20%), they file a complaint — a strike.
For platforms (Telegram, Cults3D, Thingiverse), it is easier to delete your content than to litigate with a corporation.
What to do if this happens to you:
Corporations do not care about “I live in another country” or “official miniatures cost too much.” They have an algorithm: found → blocked.
If your post, model, or shop was removed, you have two paths:
- Accept it and re-upload: Many simply create new channels and accounts, knowing it is temporary until the next ban.
- Switch to originals: Print and sell only original models unrelated to major franchises. Harder to sell, but you sleep soundly.
The choice is yours. The main thing is to understand the rules and not be surprised when the system works against you.