daveysbricks

Precisely, which is why I oppose the distribution of a parts list.

The parts list is useless without the speedbuild and 3D model however. Why would anybody want a parts list if they had no idea what to do with the parts once they got them?

Would it be ok for an individual to create a virtual model of say, a LoxLego creation, and distribute it without the permission of the original creator?

I disagree, as depending on the nature of the contract, reproducing his design in this way would absolutely be quite literally circumventing his ability to earn from his design. Realistically it boils down to people wanting to build this design, but only out out of pieces manufactured by Lego (an impossibility anyway due to colour availability). That is a restriction that you have put upon yourself, and one that unfortunately means you will not be able to build this design. That is the choice you have made. In any case, one would be spending hours reproducing the design, and further to that, a significant sum of money, simply to avoid building it out of another brand of bricks. If you really do love the design, save yourself the time and money and just purchase the set. Could not agree more.

I stand corrected. One person has enough Cada bricks. Well done. Cada, Winner, and other companies in their ilk offer exceptional quality and are terrific for competition within the industry and choice for consumers. However at this stage, you would have to agree that their distribution is obviously nowhere near that of Lego. This may be legal, however in doing so, and distributing those materials, a person would just be going out of their way to ensure that Bruno does not earn anything from his design.

This, however, is not a current market reality. Yes, in theory, one could build the Porsche 911 out of their spare Cada bricks, however in reality, nobody has that many spare Cada bricks. Additionally (and somewhat of a side point) I have seen it discussed multiple times on this forum whether or not designs which feature pieces not manufactured by Lego (for example black wheel arches) should be allowed. All of this aside, Cada has chosen not to make the instructions or parts lists available for free. They are a separate entity to Lego, and are not bound by the decisions made by Lego.

A construction company cannot steal an engineering company's design for a road or building just because they have the concrete and steel to be able to build it. The difference here also is that Lego have made their instructions freely available to you, Cada and Bruno have not. This is because to build a Lego set from Lego instructions, you would need to own all of the pieces to do so, as manufactured by Lego. This is a clear difference, as doing so would require a person to have already spent a significant amount of money to acquire those pieces from Lego, whether in the short or long term. Lego do not make their parts lists and instructions free out of altruism. To assume so would be naive. In essence, Lego are happy for you to have access to their instructions to build for free, should you have the pieces, as they can afford to because you must have already bought the pieces from them, and doing so keeps you engaged with the brand and product. In this case however, one would be using Lego pieces to build a Cada design, thereby circumventing any measure by which Cada can make any money from this endeavour.

You are not entitled to nor owed anything from Cada or Bruno. Yes. If you want to build the set, you are going to have to buy it. Money can be exchanged for goods and services, that is how businesses operate and function. Further to this, by doing so you also encourage these companies to offer other MOCers and members of this community similar partnerships and opportunities.

Why do you need the parts list if you do not intend to build it.

@Gimmick Well reasoned. If the parts list and instructions were intended to be made available, they would be so. How are designers supposed to feel when now instead of having their designs stolen by a corporation, they are being stolen by their fellow community members,

The reason is because it is disrespectful to Bruno. If you want to build his design, buy the model so he can earn the money from it that he deserves. Otherwise you are simply breaching his copyright and infringing on his right to earn from his design, in the same way that other users on this site complain that Lepin and other ripoff brands do to Lego.