The Success of the 100kGarages Community Depends on Fair Play

From the beginning when ShopBot Tools first created 100kGarages, until recently, our Fabbers were exclusively ShopBot CNC owners.  This gave 100kGarages a chance to test how the 100kGarages system would work in conditions where we were familiar with the fabbing tools and their capabilities. That first phase has given us a lot of experience helping people find Fabbers and get comfortable with getting their projects made with digital fabrication in small shops.

Most importantly, we’ve had the encouraging experience of observing the supportive and constructive interactions and transactions within this collaborative community.  It's been so successful that we've decided it's time to "open the garage doors" of 100kGarages to a wide range of types and brands of digital fabrication tools.

The continued success of 100kGarages requires a uniquely supportive and collaborative community that depends on cooperation and transparency. This requires fair play and terms of use that are agreed to by all participants. Of course in any business transaction difficulties and misunderstandings can arise, but 100kGarages is committed to trying to minimize the occurrence of these issues by imposing some simple rules.

THE TERMS OF USE ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Use of 100kGarages requires Fabbers and Designers to:

• Have an established business presence and supply documentation as needed
• Provide a high standard of service to all customers and provide timely delivery and adherence to all production commitments
• Be open and straightforward in all business dealings
• Completely respect intellectual property rights of all designs. If not specified otherwise, ALL designs belong to Designers or the makers bringing the design to 100kGarages for fabrication and will not be used by Fabbers in any fashion other than to fulfill orders
• Commit to making the community work, including participation in governance and customer service 
• Agree to the Design Ownership Policy:All designs must be original to the Designers or the makers bringing the design to 100kGarages for fabrication, or permission to reproduce the designs must be obtained if owned by others. Proof of originality or permission to reproduce may be required.

Use of 100kGarages requires anyone bringing projects for fabrication to:

• Be open and straightforward in all business dealings
• Honor business agreements entered into with Fabbers and/or Designers
• Agree to the Design Ownership Policy:All designs must be original to the Designers or the makers bringing the design to 100kGarages for fabrication, or permission to reproduce the designs must be obtained if owned by others. Proof of originality or permission to reproduce may be required.

IMPORTANT: Any user of 100kGarages violating the abovementioned rules will be barred from participation in 100kGarages, and may be subject to legal action. Users of 100kGarages may expand on production relationships initiated using 100kGarages resources or community; the expectation of adherence to these principles applies to any expanded relationship whether or not a specific project originated through 100kGarages.

ASSURANCE: These principles provide makers bringing projects to 100kGarages for fabrication with the assurance that any project will be completed, just the way it is wanted. It is very important to everyone in the 100kGarages community and especially every Fabber, that all the transactions are productive and fair. This includes the understanding that Designers and Fabbers should be reasonably compensated for their work. 100kGarages and the 100kGarages community are committed to resolving any problems or disputes that may occur in transactions or interactions in the system. However, all users of this site should remember that an aspect of this exciting system for getting things made is its composition of individuals with many different ideas and perspectives. There will occasionally be issues and misunderstandings. We can offer no ultimate guarantee, nor does 100kGarages make claims as to the ability of people listed here, or their suitability for the type of work you need to have done. That said, appreciate that this community is dedicated to the success of 100kGarages, and 100kGarages will be vigilant in trying to insure that it works fairly and transparently for everyone.