The Defensive Patent License

A large portion of the 3D printing community is within the open source world, while the rest is commercially oriented. Conflicts have occurred, but now there could be a way to reduce them. 

The Tables Turn for 3D Printer Control Advocate

The California State Senator who introduced proposed legislation to regulate 3D printers for fear of uncontrolled 3D printed guns has been ironically charged with firearms trafficking. 

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How’s Afinia Doing After that Stratasys Patent Claim?

3D printing giant Stratasys made a claim against Afinia, saying the latter has violated not one, but four of their patents related to plastic extrusion-based 3D printing. Now, you’d think having the weight of a major patent suit against you would have an effect on sales. Would prospective customer be scared off by the legal… Continue reading How’s Afinia Doing After that Stratasys Patent Claim?

The Staggering Implications of Afinia’s Countersuit

After last week’s blockbuster announcement of Afinia’s response to Stratasys’ allegations of patent infringement, we got thinking about what this might mean.    We’re anxiously awaiting further developments, that likely being a full-on court case where a judge and jury hear detailed technical arguments from both sides. That hasn’t even begun yet and we suspect… Continue reading The Staggering Implications of Afinia’s Countersuit

Breaking: Afinia’s Startling Response to Stratasys’ Patent Claims

After appropriate time for attorneys to do their work, Afinia has formally responded in court documents to Stratasys’ claim of patent infringement. Readers may recall that Afinia is the target of a patent claim by Stratasys. The larger company claims Afinia has violated four of their numerous 3D printing-related patents.    In the response, Afinia… Continue reading Breaking: Afinia’s Startling Response to Stratasys’ Patent Claims

Implications of the Stratasys – Afinia Lawsuit

By now you’ve no doubt heard that Stratasys has launched a major lawsuit against Afinia for alleged violations of several Stratasys patents. We examined these patents previously, but we believe there are implications that travel far beyond simply Afinia, as the patents describe methods commonly used in many personal 3D printers.    The concept of… Continue reading Implications of the Stratasys – Afinia Lawsuit

Details of the Stratasys – Afinia Lawsuit

We’ve been reading more about this week’s legal action by Stratasys against personal 3D printer marketer Afinia, who are alleged to have violated several of Stratasys’ patents.    We’ve obtained a copy of the “Complaint for Patent Infringement”  filed in the United States District Court, District of Minnesota (where Stratasys’ HQ is located, and, totally… Continue reading Details of the Stratasys – Afinia Lawsuit

Stratasys Sues Afinia

3D printing giant Stratasys launched legal action against Afinia, a marketer of personal 3D printers. The statement from Stratasys says:    Afinia’s sale, promotion and use of its Series H printer infringes patents directed to part porosity, liquefier structure, temperature control, and tool paths for constructing part perimeters. The most recent Stratasys patent that Afinia… Continue reading Stratasys Sues Afinia

Lawmakers Hope to Regulate 3D Printed Guns with an Act from the 1980s

US Senator Chuck Schumer (D) is sounding the alarm about the proliferation of 3D printed weapons as a law banning undetectable firearms is set to end on December 9, 2013.   The Undetectable Firearms Act, which was adopted in the 1980s, sought to make firearms more easily detectable by requiring that they contain a minimum… Continue reading Lawmakers Hope to Regulate 3D Printed Guns with an Act from the 1980s

University of Pennsylvania’s Take on 3D Print Liability Law

Nora Freeman Engstrom, Associate Professor of Law at Stanford has published a paper in which she examines some aspects of the legal implications of 3D printing. Many of us have been concerned about what may happen, but she states the problem eloquently:    Following any significant technological breakthrough, legal scholars, practitioners, and policymakers must consider… Continue reading University of Pennsylvania’s Take on 3D Print Liability Law

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An Overview of 3D Printing Intellectual Property Law

Patent attorney Bryan J. Vogel provides a reasonably brief overview of the legal aspects beginning to face the 3D printing industry in a post on Bloomberg Law.    Vogel explains in simple terms the differences between patents, trade secrets, trademark and copyright where the legal battles will likely be fought in the future as 3D… Continue reading An Overview of 3D Printing Intellectual Property Law

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Fabulonia to Protect 3D Designs

Startup Fabulonia has a new concept that could provide significant protection to designers fearful of losing control of their works.    As we understand it, Fabulonia will operate as a repository of 3D models submitted by (hopefully famous and notable) 3D designers. Consumers will be able to search, select and purchase a “print” from the… Continue reading Fabulonia to Protect 3D Designs

Patent Issued for Digital Manufacturing

After years of process, US patent number 8,515,826 has been issued to Bryan Norman of KraftWurx fame. While there are billions of patents appearing, many of which are related to 3D printing, this one bears mentioning. Here’s the abstract of the patent:    Methods and systems for designing and producing a three-dimensional object selection of… Continue reading Patent Issued for Digital Manufacturing

Four MakerBot Digitizer Implications

We’re certain most of you have heard of MakerBot’s latest device: The Digitizer. It’s a relatively inexpensive 3D scanner designed for prosumer use. As the first 3D scanner that could hit a mass audience, we pondered what it might mean. What happens when large numbers of people own a 3D scanner. Here’s our predictions:   … Continue reading Four MakerBot Digitizer Implications

Who Should Disney Sue for 3D Printing Mickey?

There’s an interesting piece at Intellectual Property Brief by Brianna Ford that looks at the legal scenario involved when copyright, trademark or patent items are illegally reproduced on a personal 3D printer.    We strongly suspect this situation will occur; in fact, it’s probably already occurring. Disney-related items are appearing at Thingiverse and they will… Continue reading Who Should Disney Sue for 3D Printing Mickey?

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Are 3D Printers Scary?

We’re reading a post by Shelly Palmer of Huffington Post entitled, “3D Printing is Way Scarier Than Plastic Guns”. Palmer describes the recent 3D printed gun scenario that we’ve covered in several posts and then goes on to suggest that the knee-jerk reactions of various politicians are misguided, sensational and “like putting a Band-Aid on… Continue reading Are 3D Printers Scary?

3D Printers: Banned?

That could be the outcome of a proposal from California state senator Leland Yee of San Francisco. Upon reviewing recent reports of 3D printable weapons, Yee became concerned about the possible outcomes and has proposed that the technology must be regulated. He says:    Terrorists can make these guns and do some horrible things to… Continue reading 3D Printers: Banned?

Breaking: DEFCAD’s 3D Printable Gun Files Held by US Government

An announcement suddenly appearing on Defense Distributed’s DEFCAD.org notifies visitors that the files containing 3D models of gun parts will no longer be available.    The announcement says:    DEFCAD files are being removed from public access at the request of the US Department of Defense Trade Controls. Until further notice, the United States government… Continue reading Breaking: DEFCAD’s 3D Printable Gun Files Held by US Government

New Zealand Panics Over 3D Printing

A report from New Zealand’s 3 News shows big concerns about 3D printing are brewing in that Pacific nation. Minister of Customs Maurice Williamson has evidently learned about 3D printing technology and believes that:    Household printers are likely to be able to manufacture drugs, weapons and other contraband in just a few years, which… Continue reading New Zealand Panics Over 3D Printing

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Controversy At 3DLT

You may not have heard about 3DLT. It’s an online “innovation hub” that attempts to provide 3D creators a web presence for marketing their designs. If you’re a designer you can join their program and create a mini-marketplace for your designs or receive requests for custom work.     But where’s the controversy?   Wired… Continue reading Controversy At 3DLT

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Another Legal Tangle for 3D Printing

Dezeen interviewed writer Adrian Mars, who brings up an interesting legal complication that potentially could derail some 3D printing ventures.    We’ve written in the past regarding the “copy” issue. The technology exists to digitally capture the external shape of almost any object using advanced 3D scanning equipment – and once a 3D model is… Continue reading Another Legal Tangle for 3D Printing

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Formlabs Vs. 3D Systems

Even more 3D Systems news today! Perhaps this was inevitable, but 3D printing giant 3D Systems has filed lawsuits against Kickstarter-fueled Formlabs, who recently closed a USD$3M campaign to raise funds to produce their new resin-based personal 3D printer.   Resin-based 3D printing, also known as Stereolithography, was invented by 3D Systems’ founder, Chuck Hull… Continue reading Formlabs Vs. 3D Systems

Preventing 3D Printed Piracy… Or What?

A patent has been awarded to The Invention Science Fund, an organization holding patents for former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold’s Intellectual Ventures company.   What does this patent do? It’s a method to implement copy-protection on your 3D printer!    Wait a moment – Does this mean we will be unable to print some of… Continue reading Preventing 3D Printed Piracy… Or What?

Phenix Systems Defends Its Position

You may recall our post the other week regarding a lawsuit filed by 3D printer manufacturer EOS against Phenix Systems. We were contacted by a representative from Phenix with an official statement countering EOS’ claims.   The statement reads:    Phenix Systems, is aware that EOS has filed a lawsuit alleging patent infringement, although EOS… Continue reading Phenix Systems Defends Its Position

EOS Files 3D Printing Patent Infringement Lawsuit

Oh oh – we’re now seeing major lawsuits flying in the 3D printing industry for perhaps the first time. EOS, the Munich-based manufacturer of laser sintering 3D printing gear, has filed suits against Phenix Systems of France.    Apparently this scenario began when Phenix produced their PXL, PXM, PXS and PXS Dental 3D printers, all… Continue reading EOS Files 3D Printing Patent Infringement Lawsuit

Should You Protect Your 3D Design?

You’ve spent hours to create the perfect 3D model in your favorite 3D tool. Do you own this digital property? Probably, but can you prove it?    Exactly. That’s the problem that’s solved by third party intellectual property registration services, such as ProtectRite. They’ll accept (for a fee) your digital file and timestamp it within… Continue reading Should You Protect Your 3D Design?

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Intellectual Property Rights vs 3D Printing

In a post on Tech.pinions, reporter Steve Wildstrom writes his thoughts on the collision of 3D printing and intellectual property rights, which we’ve discussed previously on several occasions. All agree this will be a messy business, at least until we figure out the answers.    Wildstrom thinks that it may be possible for 3D printer… Continue reading Intellectual Property Rights vs 3D Printing

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Thingiverse Terms Changed

3D Model download site Thingiverse has made a dramatic change in its licensing terms. As most startups tend to do, the initial version of legal terms are typically cobbled together from other sources. MakerBot Chief Bre Pettis writes:   I went and looked at Blip.tv’s and Etsy’s and Youtube’s and I basically copied them and… Continue reading Thingiverse Terms Changed

Trademark vs. 3D Printing

Helen Sloan of World Trademark Review writes an interesting analysis of the effect of 3D printing on trademarks. This was prompted, of course, by the recent announcement by The Pirate Bay that they’re adding a category for 3D object files. The implication is that anyone would theoretically be able to download a 3D model of… Continue reading Trademark vs. 3D Printing

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Pirate Baying 3D Printing

The other week infamous BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay announced a new category for contraband digital media: Other/Physibles. The idea is that this category would hold 3D model files representing physical objects. Horrors! Not only will movies and music will be pirated, but now Everything Else!    Listen, it’s just a category. And it’s not… Continue reading Pirate Baying 3D Printing

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KraftWurx’s Patent Available

The legalities behind the KraftWurx 3D print service/software are now available for public viewing, courtesy of the US Government’s Patent and Trade office. Patent application number 20110313878, entitled “Made-to-order direct digital manufacturing enterprise” includes this abstract:   Methods and systems for designing and producing a three-dimensional object selection of a base three-dimensional object from a… Continue reading KraftWurx’s Patent Available

The Wild West of 3D Models

Nick Bilton of the New York Times writes on the current “Wild West” state of legal affairs in the world of 3D printing. He compares the trading of digital 3D models with today’s sharing of music and video: “You think that was bad? Just wait until we can copy physical things.” We strongly agree with… Continue reading The Wild West of 3D Models

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3D Printed Crime

PC World takes a very deep look at some of the criminal possibilities of 3D printing in a recent article. We’ve been quite concerned about how this will play out, as have some others. When you have a machine that can create practically anything, what do you expect to happen?    PC World’s article details… Continue reading 3D Printed Crime

Cory Doctorow on Big Ideas

Writer and Boing Boing editor Cory Doctorow speaks eloquently in a new podcast on TVO about the future of regulation. Doctorow explains in plain language the troublesome future we may face if computing devices are regulated in the same ways we regulate specialized devices. He points out several examples where this approach simply won’t work… Continue reading Cory Doctorow on Big Ideas

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3DDC Results

On April 28th the key players in 3D printing from around the world went to Washington DC to try to influence policy makers on the best future for our technology, organized by Public Knowledge. The fear is that 3D printing could be severely hampered if restrictive regulations and digital property rights are misapplied to 3D… Continue reading 3DDC Results

More On Copy Protecting Objects

Last week we wrote on how a Thingiverse user had submitted a set of pieces suitable for playing The Settlers of Catan game, and contemplated the legality of this move. Another view comes from website Public Knowledge, who have taken the time to analyze this a bit deeper. Their approach was to examine each of… Continue reading More On Copy Protecting Objects

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Lowering Barriers To 3D Printing

We’re reading an interesting piece by Kevin Carson on OpenManufacturing who discusses the challenges of switching manufacturing from today’s highly centralized, mass produced, container shipped model to a more distributed, local and “home” based manufacturing world.    Obviously there are challenges to providing appropriately capable equipment and software for such ventures, but in the piece… Continue reading Lowering Barriers To 3D Printing

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IP Rights vs. Personal 3D Printing

At this early stage in inexpensive personal 3D printing, we’re still exploring the technology and what it means. While we see intellectual property confusion and carnage in the digital music and now text-based industries, some of us feel that a similar catastrophe will befall personal manufacturing. In the meantime, we continue to explore the space.… Continue reading IP Rights vs. Personal 3D Printing

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Boing Boing’s Bong Debate

Our post earlier this week describing Tom Matten’s “MakerBong” was picked up by BoingBoing. Now then, BoingBoing is a somewhat bigger blog than Fabbaloo, ahem, and a vigorous debate therefore emerged regarding the post’s idea – whether it’s the object or the design that matters when an illegal item is in question. Here are several… Continue reading Boing Boing’s Bong Debate

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Print Your Guitar

  Every one of us is a specialist in something, and our belief is that great things happen when different specialists intersect to combine the expertise from different disciplines. One such collision recently took place at RedEyeOnDemand, a popular 3D print service.   It turns out that Tim Thellin and several co-workers at RedEye are… Continue reading Print Your Guitar