Extension/Improvement or Theft.
Meanwhile, some users are more concerned with figuring out which components (Checkpoint, LoRA) a merge model has than with making models available to the community.
Personally, I find this mindset petty, selfish, and more harmful to the community (not just on this platform) than helpful.
Why am I writing this article?
I think users like loraholic or catlover feel cheated in some way when their models are used as merge models. You should ask yourselves why you're publishing models on this website! Are you trying to make money? If so, you're in the wrong place.
Quote: "Your MS_KREA2_Turbo_V1 incorporates my Moody model without my permission. I have always welcomed collaboration when permission is requested, but you never asked for mine. I demand that you remove this model immediately and refrain from using my work again without authorization."
Since I can no longer remember which models I used, I asked which model it was.
The answer is a link (https://wallofthieves.com), run by https://civitai.red/user/Loraholic, which checks whether a checkpoint or a LoRA is part of another model.
Is such an analysis necessary? Everyone should decide that for themselves.
Of course, I sometimes use other models to create my own! Do I do this because I want to take credit for someone else's work, or do I do it because I believe that different combinations of merge models can produce better or different results? While I didn't download the model I used from Civitai, but from another website, it appears to be a model from catlover. But the model by catlover is also a merge model.
Here's an excerpt that catlover posted on their profile:
“I’ll be honest: I’m also seriously considering whether I should continue sharing my work publicly. This whole situation has become incredibly discouraging. What started as a way for me to share my work with the community in good faith has gradually turned into something completely different from what I originally intended.”
The legal aspect:
From a purely legal standpoint, there is currently no copyright on a pure AI model merge worldwide. “Only a natural person (a human being) can be the author. A purely mathematical or technical process—such as the software-based calculation of weights of two models (model merging)—does not possess the necessary level of human originality.” The Krea2-Turbo Community License explicitly permits the creation of so-called “derivatives.”
The license terms of the new merge model must strictly adhere to the original license terms of the source model and may not exceed them. This means that if a merge model contains the original model (here, Krea2 Turbo), which permits merging, the creator of a merge model based on it cannot prohibit further merging.
My own personal opinion:
I am personally pleased when my models (merge models or 100% original developments) are used by other users or when derivatives are created from them. For me, this is a sign of appreciation for my work. I put in this effort as a hobby and for the benefit of the community. I make all my models available to the community free of charge and have not received a single cent (real money) for them so far, which is not my intention.
If other users feel they need to protect their models from merging, then they should not publish them here. If catlover believes he has missed something or is suffering disadvantages because of my model, he is welcome to contact me. I will, of course, gladly send him the 49 YELLOW BUZZ that my model generated.
In conclusion: Since I can no longer trace which models are included in my merge model, on which platform I uploaded the models, and since the calculation on https://wallofthieves.com has no legal basis whatsoever, I am unwilling to delete my model.
Articles like this one shouldn't be necessary, and discussions like "You used my model, which I didn't allow" hinder, in my opinion, a mature creator community that thrives on the principles of open source and sharing.