UPDATED 14:36 EDT / OCTOBER 08 2012

3D Printing Innovation May Be Hindered By Patent Trolls

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could just make your own products at home with your computer and then just print them?  I’m talking about the huge role 3D printers would play in making consumers lives easier.

3D printers can actually print almost anything from various materials.  There are already some companies who offer iPhone 5 cases made with the use of 3D printers like Sculpteo.  Aside from iPhone casings, 3D printers can be used to replicate items seen in retail stores, and this could be bad for companies who make, ship and sell the end-products.

At SiliconANGLE.tv’s NewsDesk, SiliconANGLE Senior News Editor Kristen Nicole talks about how 3D printers are both exciting and terrifying.

With the possibility of printing almost anything on 3D printers, it can be used to produce weapons, especially with the fact that different materials can be used in 3D printers.

“[N]o one can really stop anyone from making a weapon or something that can be used for harm,” Nicole stated.  “But when there’s processes and machines that simplify the process and make it as easy as pushing a button and really lower the skill set required to manufacture certain things, there’s certainly room for concern.  Manufacturing – printing a gun – it’s a scary thought.”

3D printers are getting more affordable as the technology becomes mainstream, and that just adds to the possibility of using the technology to cause harm.  But it should be noted that weapons often require multiple types of materials to make, and some cheap printers, those cost a thousand dollars or less, are typically able to produce objects consisting of just one material.  So this could minimize the number and types of weapons that could be crafted using a 3D printer–for now.

Weapons aside, 3D printers actually open a whole new world for creativity and innovation, but there’s also the issue of legality.   Because replicating things would be as easy as pushing a button, it would also be easier to make counterfeit items or knock-offs of popular brands.  There’s a possibility that patent and trademark laws could inhibit 3D printing innovation.

Nicole hopes that legal issues won’t hinder innovations using 3D technology but recognizes that things could get ugly depending on how prepared manufacturers will be for the promise of 3D printers.  There’s also a possibility that laws would be passed to protect manufacturers against people or small companies that would use 3D printing technology to rip them off.

One prime example of lawsuits hindering innovation is Apple’s string of legal battles against Samsung, Motorola and others.  But the patenting process itself, and the regulation of the manufacturing industry, are the true topics that need to be discussed for 3D printing.

See the video below for Nicole’s full analysis.


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