An Introduction to the Intellectual Property Law Implications of 3D Printing

Put simply, 3D printing allows people to print physical objects that are scanned, downloaded, or created digitally. There are an astonishing number of uses, benefits, and advantages associated with 3D printing. However, as with any new technology with so much potential, 3D printing presents a number of threats and challenges to many who benefit from the way manufacturing currently operates. While 3D printers will likely have a tremendous economic and socio- cultural impact, the following will provide an overview of some of its implications relating to intellectual property law. I will begin by briefly discussing the history of 3D printing and explain how it works. Next, I describe how and why 3D printing could drastically change the world we live in by outlining its advantages over previous manufacturing methods, listing some of its possible uses, and exploring the economic impact it might have. The next section of this article will focus on 3D printing’s relationship with intellectual property law. This new technology is of particular interest because it encompasses copyright, patent, trademark, and industrial design laws. I will generally discuss some of the challenges 3D printing presents in each of those areas, outline how the current regime might deal with those challenges, and provide some suggestions. There are a number of approaches that could be taken with regards to 3D printing. Some might involve tightening intellectual property law in order to protect rights-holders, while other approaches could focus on loosening the current regime in order to foster innovation and allow 3D printing to develop to its full potential. I will ultimately suggest that rushing new legislation or altering current legislation could have unintended consequences

3D Printing and the Art World: Current Developments and Future Perspectives

3D printing’s rapid technological development is starting to impact the art field because, for the first time, it has become possible to exactly reproduce and reconstruct artworks without any loss of their physical features. Yet, a coherent overview of how 3D printing is used within the art field while paying attention to ethical considerations does not exist. This study will provide an overview of the current developments of 3D printing in the art world, its use, and the direction it is moving toward. Within this study, the technologies that enable, influence, and will continue to affect the 3D reproduction of artworks, namely technologies necessary to capture an artwork’s materials on a chemical and physical level, artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing technology itself, and the rise of the non-fungible token (NFT) are analyzed to be able to understand what 3D printing implies for our changing perception of art in the future

An overview of natural polymers as reinforcing agents for 3D printing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, or additive manufacturing, is a group of innovative technologies that are increasingly employed for the production of 3D objects in different fields, including pharmaceutics, engineering, agri-food and medicines. The most processed materials by 3D printing techniques (e.g., fused deposition modelling, FDM; selective laser sintering, SLS; stereolithography, SLA) are polymeric materials since they offer chemical resistance, are low cost and have easy processability. However, one main drawback of using these materials alone (e.g., polylactic acid, PLA) in the manufacturing process is related to the poor mechanical and tensile properties of the final product. To overcome these limitations, fillers can be added to the polymeric matrix during the manufacturing to act as reinforcing agents. These include inorganic or organic materials such as glass, carbon fibers, silicon, ceramic or metals. One emerging approach is the employment of natural polymers (polysaccharides and proteins) as reinforcing agents, which are extracted from plants or obtained from biomasses or agricultural/industrial wastes. The advantages of using these natural materials as fillers for 3D printing are related to their availability together with the possibility of producing printed specimens with a smaller environmental impact and higher biodegradability. Therefore, they represent a “green option” for 3D printing processing, and many studies have been published in the last year to evaluate their ability to improve the mechanical properties of 3D printed objects. The present review provides an overview of the recent literature regarding natural polymers as reinforcing agents for 3D printing

Marching for 3D Printing: Its Potential to Promoting Access to Healthcare in Africa

Technology has the capacity for helping African citizens realize their basic rights. The recent introduction of the disruptive technology—3D printing—has the potential to impact millions of lives through a variety of revolutionary medical solutions, including surgery and the treatment of intractable health conditions. As the technology progresses, so does the practical enjoyment of health rights. This chapter argues that the human rights-based approach to 3D printing technology can be helpful in focusing discussions and actions on health well-being and security for individuals in Africa. Having first analyzed the impact of the technology in revolutionizing healthcare, the chapter provides an overview of the complex health challenges this young continent is faced with. Further, it also explores the most relevant African regional laws and standards, guidelines and policy initiatives requiring African governments to use technologies that can advance the human right to health. It concludes that the healthcare agenda of African countries needs to be better integrated and coordinated to ensure that the technologies have a positive impact on health rights. It further concludes that the African Union Commission should promote the researching and utilization of this technology in the implementation of national health policies and strategies of African countries

Don\u27t Bring a CAD File to a Gun Fight: A Technological Solution to the Legal and Practical Challenges of Enforcing ITAR on the Internet

This Essay begins by outlining Cody Wilson’s motivation to found his organization, Defense Distributed, and the organization’s progress toward its goals. Then, Part II provides a brief overview of the protracted legal battle between Wilson and the State Department over the right to publish Computer-Aided Design (CAD) files on the internet that enable the 3D printing of guns and lower receivers. Part III.A takes a brief look at whether these CAD files are rightly considered speech at all and, if so, what level of protection they might receive. Part III.B then addresses the problem of even asking whether the files are speech subject to regulation. Part III.B also highlights the similarities between regulating internet speech and regulating public-order crimes, focusing on the impact that enforcement problems in both areas can have on government credibility. It ultimately questions whether these legal battles provide any utility to society. In Part IV, this Essay argues that the State Department is utilizing old and incongruent regulations to enforce practically unenforceable laws to little or no effect, ultimately hurting the credibility of the State and martyring people like Wilson. This Essay advocates for a solution that focuses on 3D printer manufacturers as a control point for gun manufacturing. This solution avoids First Amendment issues and makes import and export control a physical reality, rather than an unbounded problem relegated to an open internet. This Essay looks beyond a judicial solution to practical solutions that stem the growth of in-house manufacturing of weapons

Don\u27t Bring a CAD File to a Gun Fight: A Technological Solution to the Legal and Practical Challenges of Enforcing ITAR on the Internet

This Essay begins by outlining Cody Wilson’s motivation to found his organization, Defense Distributed, and the organization’s progress toward its goals. Then, Part II provides a brief overview of the protracted legal battle between Wilson and the State Department over the right to publish Computer-Aided Design (CAD) files on the internet that enable the 3D printing of guns and lower receivers. Part III.A takes a brief look at whether these CAD files are rightly considered speech at all and, if so, what level of protection they might receive. Part III.B then addresses the problem of even asking whether the files are speech subject to regulation. Part III.B also highlights the similarities between regulating internet speech and regulating public-order crimes, focusing on the impact that enforcement problems in both areas can have on government credibility. It ultimately questions whether these legal battles provide any utility to society. In Part IV, this Essay argues that the State Department is utilizing old and incongruent regulations to enforce practically unenforceable laws to little or no effect, ultimately hurting the credibility of the State and martyring people like Wilson. This Essay advocates for a solution that focuses on 3D printer manufacturers as a control point for gun manufacturing. This solution avoids First Amendment issues and makes import and export control a physical reality, rather than an unbounded problem relegated to an open internet. This Essay looks beyond a judicial solution to practical solutions that stem the growth of in-house manufacturing of weapons

What the future holds for the self-employed?

Technological advancements, such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation or Big Data are often considered as major drivers for the future of work. Current debate on this topic mostly focuses on which tasks and jobs will be delegated to machines and how employees can deal with the uncertainty of career choice. In a recent report, the World Economic Forum provides an overview of industries that are most likely to be affected by job displacement and several technologies are named, including mobile internet, the cloud, increasing computing power, and even 3D printing as the catalyst for this disruption. Without a doubt, these technological advances have a significant, direct impact on the levels of employment in the industries they affect. However, technology also influences the future of work in an indirect way: by changing the nature of work itself

From 3D Models to 3D Prints: an Overview of the Processing Pipeline

Due to the wide diffusion of 3D printing technologies, geometric algorithms for Additive Manufacturing are being invented at an impressive speed. Each single step, in particular along the Process Planning pipeline, can now count on dozens of methods that prepare the 3D model for fabrication, while analysing and optimizing geometry and machine instructions for various objectives. This report provides a classification of this huge state of the art, and elicits the relation between each single algorithm and a list of desirable objectives during Process Planning. The objectives themselves are listed and discussed, along with possible needs for tradeoffs. Additive Manufacturing technologies are broadly categorized to explicitly relate classes of devices and supported features. Finally, this report offers an analysis of the state of the art while discussing open and challenging problems from both an academic and an industrial perspective.Comment: European Union (EU); Horizon 2020; H2020-FoF-2015; RIA - Research and Innovation action; Grant agreement N. 68044

3D-printing techniques in a medical setting : a systematic literature review

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing has numerous applications and has gained much interest in the medical world. The constantly improving quality of 3D-printing applications has contributed to their increased use on patients. This paper summarizes the literature on surgical 3D-printing applications used on patients, with a focus on reported clinical and economic outcomes. Methods: Three major literature databases were screened for case series (more than three cases described in the same study) and trials of surgical applications of 3D printing in humans. Results: 227 surgical papers were analyzed and summarized using an evidence table. The papers described the use of 3D printing for surgical guides, anatomical models, and custom implants. 3D printing is used in multiple surgical domains, such as orthopedics, maxillofacial surgery, cranial surgery, and spinal surgery. In general, the advantages of 3D-printed parts are said to include reduced surgical time, improved medical outcome, and decreased radiation exposure. The costs of printing and additional scans generally increase the overall cost of the procedure. Conclusion: 3D printing is well integrated in surgical practice and research. Applications vary from anatomical models mainly intended for surgical planning to surgical guides and implants. Our research suggests that there are several advantages to 3D- printed applications, but that further research is needed to determine whether the increased intervention costs can be balanced with the observable advantages of this new technology. There is a need for a formal cost-effectiveness analysis