Short answer. Yes, generally. Article 474 of the Civil Code gives the owner of the material the right to take the finished work without paying the bad-faith maker anything. There is one exception: if the work's value greatly exceeds the material's value for artistic or scientific reasons, you cannot appropriate it.
What the law says
If in the making of the thing bad faith intervened, the owner of the material shall have the right to appropriate the work to himself without paying anything to the maker, or to demand of the latter that he indemnify him for the value of the material and the damages he may have suffered.
Civil Code, Article 474 — Specification. Read the full provision →
Bad faith changes who controls the outcome
When someone uses your materials in good faith to create something new, the law gives the maker the stronger position: they keep the finished product and pay you for the materials. Bad faith flips this entirely. Article 474 of the Civil Code provides that if bad faith intervened in the making of the thing, you — the owner of the material — gain the right to choose what happens next. The bad-faith maker loses the protected position that good faith would have given them.
Your two options when bad faith is present
Article 474 gives you a choice. Option one: appropriate the finished work without paying anything to the maker. You take the new object and the bad-faith maker gets nothing for their labor. Option two: demand that the maker indemnify you for the value of the material and for any other damages you suffered. This second option might be preferable if you do not want the finished object — perhaps it has no use to you — and you would rather simply recover your losses in money. The choice belongs to you, not the maker.
The one exception: art or science raises the work far above the materials
Even in bad faith, the law creates one limit on your right to appropriate the work. Article 474 states that the owner of the material cannot appropriate the work in case the value of the latter, for artistic or scientific reasons, is considerably more than that of the material. The classic example is a sculptor who uses stolen marble to create a masterpiece worth many times more than the stone. In that case, the law does not permit you to claim the sculpture — the transformation has created something that the law treats as beyond the material owner's reach. You may still demand indemnity for the material's value and damages.
Proving bad faith
The stronger remedies under bad faith require establishing that the maker knew they were using materials that belonged to someone else without authorization, or acted with deliberate disregard for your rights. Good-faith use — where the maker genuinely believed the materials were theirs or available — triggers different and less favorable rules for you. Document what the maker knew and when they knew it: communications, witness accounts, any demand or notice you gave them before they proceeded, and evidence that they were aware the materials were yours. The factual record of the maker's knowledge is what determines which set of rules applies.