The threat of 3D Printing to intellectual property

Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as 3D printing, is widely recognised as a leap forward in the manufacturing of a wide variety of products. From prosthetic limbs to smartphone cases, 3D printing represents an opportunity to solve a wide range of manufacturing challenges across industry sectors. 

Still, while 3D printing has been lauded for its ability to produce customized parts at a significantly faster rate than standard manufacturing practices, it’s not without its risks. 

One of the most significant risks posed by 3D printing is the potential increase in the number of cheap imitations that can be produced. By simply using a 3D scanner to scan objects, the 3D CAD files can be copied and used to create copies of the end product.

This leads to significant frustration for companies who’ve invested time and money into innovative product development. However, there are also other risks including the potential for damage to their brand’s reputation. If consumers were unable to tell that a copied product isn’t an official product and hasn’t originated from the original manufacturer, then any potential harm that results from using the copied product could lead to reputational damage to the manufacturer.

Ultimately, these organisations need to find a way to protect their investments and reduce the likelihood of damage to their brand and losing out on revenue.

So what can manufacturers do to protect their intellectual property? One of the most effective deterrents against copyright infringement is patent protection. Where a company has patent protection on their intellectual property, anyone found trying to infringe this IP protection can be subject to legal proceedings where the patent owners can seek compensation for lost revenue.

Pursing individuals who infringe copyright of intellectual property may not be as easy as it sounds. It can be tricky to pursue private individuals who download the 3D CAD files to their own homes, especially given the risk for negative publicity that could result from pursuing these individuals. A more suitable strategy might then be to pursue the websites that have distributed the 3D CAD files that enable private individuals to copy products.

Overall, while 3D printing represents an important step towards overcoming significant manufacturing challenges across industry sectors, the risks involved concerning the potential for imitation products to appear must not be undervalued. Manufacturers need to employ as many protective strategies as they can, such as patent protection, to prevent a potential loss of revenue. Even more importantly, patent protection can help to prevent the production of harmful products that could lead to significant health and safety issues for end consumers.

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