Hello folks,
I want to raise a concern about copied skins being entered in WT Live contests, including the recent Autumn Camo Contest (#autumn_camo_contest_1).
One of the entries that placed in this contest was a copy of another author’s skin, with missing details, no stencils, no decals and no weathering.
When we looked further, we found that the same participant had entered contests with at least five skins copied from other authors:
| Original (author) | Copy (post no.) |
|---|---|
| Kurnass No. 334, Paris Air Show 1987 (Ekek) - the entry that placed: WT Live // Camouflage by Ekek | 1192206 |
| F-4J(UK) XV490, 92 Sqn (bobpie1): WT Live // Camouflage by bobpie1 | 1190810 |
| F-4J(UK) XV582 “Black Mike”, 111 Sqn (bobpie1): WT Live // Camouflage by bobpie1 | 1190116 |
| Phantom FG.1 XT597, IAT 1983 (fenris): WT Live // Camouflage by fenris | 1190535 |
| Phantom FG.1 XT597, A&AEE “Raspberry Ripple” 1982 (fenris): WT Live // Camouflage by fenris | 1189517 |
The post numbers show which came first: every original was published long before its copy, and all five copies were uploaded during the contest period.
There are also well-made skins for the same aircraft that we think deserve more attention:
- F-4E-2020, 111th “Panthers” Squadron (TheGreyDead): WT Live // Camouflage by TheGreyDead
- F-4E Phantom II (koloshich10): WT Live // Camouflage by koloshich10
- F-4J Phantom II (Supittofaia): WT Live // Camouflage by Supittofaia
- F-4J Phantom II (Supittofaia): WT Live // Camouflage by Supittofaia
For future contests, we’d like to suggest checking entries against existing WT Live posts and Marketplace items before results are posted, and asking for WIP screenshots or source files when something looks off. Short jury feedback would also help authors understand what to improve. We’d also kindly ask the team to review this contest’s result in light of the above.
We believe the original authors deserve credit, and creators who actually do the research deserve a fair chance.
Thank yall for reading.