Jingo, the VRchat model creator, tweeted (archive) he mainly wants to protect the copyright of his characters, as many other people use them.
Jingo's Tweet translated.
Hello, this is Jingo.
I just returned to Japan early this morning, so please forgive me for the delay in cleaning up.
I have received all replies from the Vtuber and Good Smile Company, and we plan to proceed in a direction that will protect my rights to the greatest extent possible.
My position is that I would like to have a smooth negotiation through communication.
The models I make are products that anyone can use if they are purchased on BOOTH.
They were mainly made as avatars for VRChat, but
the terms of use allow the use of avatars outside of VRChat as long as they are not used by third parties other than the purchaser.
Personal Vtuber activities are also allowed.
However, just because a model is purchased on BOOTH does not mean that the purchaser has all the rights, and in the end, the model is rented, so
If revenue is generated through general Vtuber activities such as videos and streaming, we ask that you credit the person.
Going further from here, there is a terms of use that requires prior contact for activities that have a large commercial potential, such as character product production, beyond general Vtuber activities such as videos and streaming, and we provide guidance on crediting after consideration.
Usually, the scale is not that big, and VTubers themselves handle the production and sales without going through a company, so selling character merchandise like this is not a problem.
However, if a VTuber has an agency and uses the character through a company or corporation, we receive accurate information and advance notice even if it is not for commercial use.
The problem I have is that the VTuber does not own the copyright to the character, and the project was carried out through a contract with a company without any notice to the original character's owner.
Therefore, I have requested that the production schedule for this character merchandise project be suspended.
I do not need royalties or incentives, I just want to protect the copyright of the character.
If this is allowed, such as selling copyright licenses, each character derived from my model will have its own copyright, which may lead to complicated copyright disputes between people who use the same model.
I want people to recognize that my BOOTH characters are not models for just one person, but models for shared use.
Since they are not completely my original designs, no matter how much I modify them, the original author's traces remain, so I cannot give up the copyright.
Terms of use vary depending on the creator and model, so please be sure to check before using a model.
We look forward to your continued support.