Hey Larry,
First off, I completely appreciate where your feelings of indignation and frustration come from in your concern about abuse of copyright. We, too, feel the importance of upholding the rights of creators. It is important that the rights holder is protected and that due process is followed.
This is why we have followed the process outlined by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the case of Left Shark. We have followed through with how the law mitigates copyright disputes and have openly shared this information with our community.
Does this mean we will all agree on the outcome? No. After all, there are a diversity of opinions and thoughts around what should morally be protected, what is Fair Use, and what is legally acceptable.
What I can assure is that we have worked with both sides of this dispute, allowing them to move forward with their case. And we have done our best to be transparent about that process–you can read more on our blog. Shapeways.com/blog
Further, I would personally challenge you to be a part of that discuss. We are not just some mindless business. We are a community full of thoughtful people trying to innovate and build a future where everyone can be a part of the creation process. We will always need those voices such as yours that can join in constructive conversation and differences of opinion.
I understand the feelings of frustration and I know it is easy to demonize one side or feel off put by the spin in the news. What I have found is that the only real way that we are able to move together as a community is to talk about the issues and share in an open and honest (though civil) way.
I hope to hear your thoughtful points in our forum and among those other community members that are just as passionate as you. I will be sure to add mine, too.
Best,
Thomas
Customer Service Team Lead
http://www.Shapeways.com
ChooseCreativeCommerce C3 