Terms of Service

Effective 1 January 2025 · matplace s.r.o. · Version 2.0

1. Operator

The platform matplace.com (the Platform) is operated by matplace s.r.o., Company ID: 22499008, registered office at Rybná 716/24, Staré Město, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic, registered at the Municipal Court in Prague, file no. C 417491 (the Operator).

Contact: info@matplace.com

2. Purpose and Role of the Operator

The Platform connects customers seeking 3D printing services with registered 3D printing providers (Printers). The Operator is not a party to the printing contract — that contract is concluded directly between the customer and the Printer. The Operator provides only the technical and organisational environment for their interaction.

The Operator acts as an intermediary within the meaning of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) and benefits from hosting provider protection under the conditions set out therein, in particular where the Operator does not actively initiate or modify unlawful content.

3. Registration and User Account

Customers may register with a name, email address and password. Registration is optional — requests can be submitted without it.

Printers register by completing a profile (contact details, equipment, service area). Printer registration is subject to administrator approval. There is no legal entitlement to approval.

Users must provide accurate information and keep their login credentials secure. Users are responsible for all activity conducted from their account.

4. Request Process

The customer submits a request — description, model file (STL, 3MF, OBJ etc.), material, quantity and region.
After email verification, the request is displayed to Printers in the selected region.
Printers may send offers with a price and delivery date.
The customer selects an offer and can communicate with the Printer via internal chat.
Once the terms are agreed (price, deadline, delivery method) the Printer begins production.
The printing contract is concluded directly between the customer and the Printer — the Operator is not a party.

5. Payments

5.1 Escrow Payment via Stripe Connect

The Platform offers secure online card payment via Stripe, Inc., a licensed payment institution in the EU (licensed by the Central Bank of Ireland). When the customer chooses online payment, funds are:

held in escrow upon the customer accepting an offer,
released to the Printer after the customer confirms receipt, or
automatically released after 14 days without a dispute being opened.

Customer funds are held exclusively by Stripe — the Operator does not hold or directly control these funds. The Operator issues a release instruction once the conditions set out in these Terms are met.

5.2 Direct Payment (QR Code)

The customer and Printer may agree on direct payment outside the escrow system (cash, bank transfer, QR payment directly to the Printer's account). In such cases the Operator bears no responsibility for the payment process or its outcome.

With direct payment, the Operator has no financial leverage over fund release. Compliance by the Printer is ensured exclusively through the reputation system — see Article 11.

5.3 Confirmation of Receipt

The customer is required to confirm receipt of the print via the Platform. The method depends on the chosen delivery type:

Courier delivery: the customer confirms receipt in the app, or the order is automatically closed 14 days after the carrier records delivery, unless the customer opens a dispute within that period.
In-person pickup (OTP): the Printer marks the order as ready for collection. The system sends the customer a one-time six-digit code (OTP). The customer shares the code with the Printer at handover. The Printer enters the code in the app — the system verifies it and records receipt. The code is valid for 24 hours, maximum 3 attempts.

Direct payment: if the Printer does not mark the order as completed within 72 hours of the expected handover, the system automatically closes the order and records a reputation penalty for the Printer.

6. Custom Manufacturing and Right of Withdrawal

3D printing based on a specific customer request constitutes custom manufacturing to consumer specification within the meaning of § 1837(d) of Act No. 89/2012 Coll., the Civil Code.

The 14-day right of withdrawal without giving a reason, which generally applies to consumers purchasing online, does not apply to custom 3D printing. The Printer is obliged to inform the customer of this fact before commencing production.

The right to claim for defective performance (liability for defects) is not affected.

7. Complaints and Disputes

7.1 Opening a Dispute

The customer may file a complaint using the Open Dispute function within 14 days of confirming receipt or from automatic order closure. After this period a dispute cannot be opened via the Platform.

7.2 Dispute Resolution Process

The Operator will invite both parties to submit their position and evidence (photos, shipment tracking, OTP log, chat history). Based on available information, the Operator will propose a resolution.

If the parties cannot agree, the Operator may decide on a partial or full refund from escrow.

7.3 Limitation of Operator Liability

The Operator is not liable for print quality, missed deadlines or damages arising from the business relationship between the customer and the Printer. The Operator's total liability in any single case is limited to the commission earned on the relevant order.

Out-of-court consumer dispute resolution is available via the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (coi.cz).

8. Commission

The Operator charges Printers a commission for each successfully brokered order. The current commission rate is shown in the Printer's profile and at registration. Customers do not pay commission.

The Operator may change the commission rate with at least 30 days' notice by email. Continued use of the Platform after the change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the new rate.

9. Licences for 3D Models from External Platforms

9.1 Display of External Models

The Platform may display models sourced from external platforms (Printables, Thingiverse, MakerWorld, Cults3D etc.). For each such model the Operator displays:

the licence type based on information from the original platform,
a link to the original source and the author's name,
a notice of any licence restrictions.

The Operator displays licence information in good faith based on data from external sources but does not guarantee its completeness or currency. Before submitting a request, the customer must verify that the intended commercial use of the model complies with the author's licence.

9.2 Models with Non-Commercial Licences (CC BY-NC and equivalents)

For models licensed for personal non-commercial use only, the Platform will display a notice before the request is submitted and requires the customer's active confirmation that they are aware of the licence restriction and accept full responsibility for commercial use of the model.

This confirmation is recorded (timestamp, IP address, customer ID, model ID) and serves as evidence in the event of a dispute with the model author.

9.3 Liability for Licences

Responsibility for complying with a 3D model's licence terms rests with the customer. The Printer prints on the customer's instruction and is not liable for licence rights to supplied models, provided the Printer did not know and could not reasonably have known of any licence breach.

The Operator is not liable for intellectual property infringement caused by the customer or the Printer.

9.4 Notice & Takedown

Model authors and rights holders may report unauthorised use of their work to info@matplace.com. The notice must include identification of the work, proof of authorship and the URL of the relevant model on the Platform. The Operator will investigate without undue delay and, if the claim is justified, remove the model from the Platform.

10. Prohibited Conduct

Submitting requests or offers with fraudulent intent.
Circumventing the Platform's payment system (arranging payment outside the system after making contact via the Platform in order to avoid commission).
Uploading files that infringe copyright or other third-party rights.
Requesting the printing of objects whose manufacture or possession is unlawful.
Damaging the reputation of the Platform or other users through false reviews or information.
Automatically scraping Platform content without the Operator's consent.
Knowingly requesting commercial printing of a model with a non-commercial licence without the author's consent.

11. Printer Reputation System

The Operator operates a reputation system as a quality assurance tool, in particular for orders with direct payment outside escrow.

Factors affecting a Printer's reputation:

Customer ratings (1–5 stars) after each completed order.
Number of unconfirmed orders (failure to mark completion on direct payment).
Average response time to requests.
Number of justified complaints.

Sanctions for repeated failure to mark order completion (direct payment):

Number of cases	Action
1st failure	Warning by email
2nd failure	Warning + reduced profile visibility
3rd and further	Temporary profile suspension — manual review by the Operator

The Printer may appeal a penalty within 7 days of its imposition to info@matplace.com. The Operator will assess the appeal within 14 days.

12. Intellectual Property and Printer's Own Models

By uploading 3D files or images, the user confirms they have the right to share them. The user grants the Operator a non-exclusive licence to display these files on the Platform. The Operator will not sell or provide files to third parties without the user's consent.

All Platform content (design, code, texts, logos) is protected by the Operator's or third parties' copyright and may not be copied or otherwise used without express consent.

12.1 Printer offers own models for download or sale (STL)

Where a Printer offers their own 3D models for download or sale as digital files through the Platform, they must confirm the following declaration upon upload:

By uploading a 3D model, the Printer declares that they are its author or have authorisation from the author to distribute and, where applicable, sell the model. The Printer bears full responsibility for any infringement of third-party rights arising from the upload or sale of the model.

In such cases the Operator acts as an intermediary for the sale of digital goods. The following obligations apply:

VAT on digital goods — the sale of digital files is subject to VAT in the customer's country under EU digital services rules; the Printer is responsible for correctly accounting for their tax obligations.
Customer right of withdrawal — for digital goods, the customer must expressly waive the right of withdrawal before downloading; the Platform collects this confirmation as part of the payment process.
Commission — the Operator retains a commission from each transaction in accordance with the current fee schedule (see Wallet in the Printer's profile).

12.2 Printer produces a physical print of their own model

Where a Printer offers a physical print of a model they designed themselves, they are selling exclusively a printing service, not a licence to the model. The customer acquires a physical object — neither the Platform nor the customer acquires any copyright in the model. No licensing risk arises for the Operator in this scenario.

12.3 Printer produces a physical print of a third-party model

Where a Printer offers to print a model downloaded from an external platform (Printables, Thingiverse, etc.), they must verify that the model's licence permits commercial printing. Licence conditions for external models are further addressed in Article 9 of these Terms.

13. Privacy

The processing of personal data is governed by the separate Privacy Policy available on matplace.com. The Operator processes personal data in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).

For the purpose of documenting licence consents (Art. 9.2), the Operator stores the timestamp, IP address and user identifier for each licence notice confirmation. These records are retained for 3 years.

14. Changes to these Terms

The Operator may amend these Terms. Material changes will be communicated by email or Platform notice at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Czech Republic. Disputes will be resolved by the competent courts of the Czech Republic. Consumers may use out-of-court dispute resolution via the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (coi.cz).

16. Contact

matplace s.r.o. · Rybná 716/24, 110 00 Prague 1 · info@matplace.com