Editing MakerBot (section)

==Controversies==<!-- add a preamble here -->
The company has been involved in a number of controversies dating as far back as 2012, spanning a variety of issues and subjects. 
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!Controversy
!Year
!Background Info
!Aftermath
!Related Article
!Related Video(s)
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|Switch to closed-source
|2012
|MakerBot abandoned its original open-source business practices in favor of developing closed-source machines with proprietary components and software.<ref>https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/pulling-back-from-open-source-hardware-makerbot-angers-some-adherents/</ref>
|The move was unpopular with consumers, and MakerBot began to lose its market share to less-expensive, open-source 3D printers over the course of the next decade.
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|Thingiverse terms of use
|2012
|MakerBot updated the Thingiverse [[terms of use]], appearing to assert ownership over anything uploaded to the site, despite users being allowed to dictate their own usage terms under Creative Commons.<ref>https://hackaday.com/2012/09/20/makerbot-occupy-thingiverse-and-the-reality-of-selling-open-hardware/</ref>
|Ongoing, even after the absorption of MakerBot by Ultimaker in 2022.
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|Accusations of IP theft
|2014
|MakerBot was accused of stealing and patenting user-uploaded designs from its public design repository, Thingiverse.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20160501050442/http://3dprintingindustry.com/2014/05/28/makerbot-become-takerbot/</ref>
|MakerBot denied wrongdoing and showed its patents were filed before the contested designs were shared, but the accusation highlighted ongoing concerns with Thingiverse's terms of use.<ref>https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/28/makerbot-responds-to-critics-who-claim-it-is-stealing-community-ip/</ref>
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|Smart Extruder unreliability
|2015
|Makerbot was hit with a [[class-action lawsuit]], claiming the Smart Extruder for its fifth-generation printers was deliberately engineered to fail in order to boost sales for replacement components.<ref>https://makezine.com/article/digital-fabrication/3d-printing-workshop/makerbot-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-faulty-extruders/</ref>
|The suit was dismissed by the court, which decided that MakerBot did not mislead customers.<ref>https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/class-action-makerbot-dismissed-85388/</ref> MakerBot would later release a more reliable, albeit more expensive Smart Extruder+.<ref>https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/4/10677740/new-makerbot-smart-extruder-plus-3d-printer-ces-2016</ref>
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