Copying existing miniatures - Laws, licences and legality

Article updated: 2023.03.01

When you decide to use the designs others made to create a miniature (be it a recast miniature, 3D printed model, papercraft), there are several legal points you have to consider: copyright, design protection, trademark, derivative work rights.

Summary

When someone creates a miniature, they have the copyright to the mini, that is, the right to create copies of it. Creating copies without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal.

If a sculptor wants to copy the designs of an existing intellectual property (IP), they need the IP holder's permission to do that. The way you create this copy (recast miniature, 3D printed miniature, papercraft miniature) doesn't matter in this regard. Copying the original designs without the licence is illegal. The law protects every design for a number of years. After it has passed, you can use the design to sculpt or print your own model, but you still can't make physical copies of the originals, and in most cases you can't use the likeness of real people.

I've seen several opinions and question on the internet about the legalities of copying miniatures, so I've collected some of them.

Contents

The legality of making copies of miniatures

The legality of creating accessories for miniatures

Often cited reasons for making illegal copies of miniatures

Places with different laws regarding making copies of miniatures

Legal actions against copying miniatures

The legality of creating papercraft model copies of miniatures

The legality of creating 3D printer copies of miniatures

Resources - Copying existing miniatures - Laws, licences and legality