![]() ![]() The section on Product Liability is also quite interesting, as it addresses the significant blurring of boundaries between ‘producers’ and ‘consumers’ brought on by 3D printing. The white paper goes on to discuss private copy exception, direct and indirect 3D printing patent infringement, design rights (section 5.2 features an interesting aside on the legal acceptance of 3D printed ‘repair parts’), and trademark law, providing background, insight, and advice for CAD designers, 3D printing parties and individuals. “The most advisable option would seem to follow the music and film industries’ lead and develop new business models, such as the one that includes a customer-friendly platform that offers authorized CAD files for reasonable price.” In this case, and in many others such as direct patent infringement, Balfoort stresses that it is essential to have legally-binding General Conditions and other contractual provisions in place, by means of which liability for infringement is shifted from the contractor to the assignor (the customer).įor right holders, he advises a ‘prevention is better than cure’ approach. Parties who 3D print objects upon customer request are especially advised to make sure the object and/or the CAD file do not infringe upon any third party rights, or at least that liability for infringement lies with the customer.” “As a vast majority of 3D printed objects are protected by a copyright, copyright infringement can easily rear its ugly head. “Arguably the majority of IP rights qualify as copyright,” writes Willem Balfoort, a Dutch IT-law attorney specialized in the legal aspects of 3D printing and author of the white paper. The first topics to be addressed are two of the most talked about legal issues in 3D printing: Intellectual Property and Copyright law. Though written based on Dutch law and regulations, these are generally implemented based on the European Directives, and thus will be consistent with many other European countries, and in some cases perhaps not so far off from US or other nations’ policies. Luckily, Dutch law firm De Clercq Advocaten Notarissen has just issued a brief yet educational white paper that covers everything from intellectual property law (IP) to copyright law, to the especially murky waters of product liability, all within the new reality of the 3D printing industrial revolution. ![]() Yet even if firearms aren’t your cup of tea, if you either design or create 3D printed products, you could be infringing on IP law, copyrights, or a host of other legal issues without even knowing it.Īs a topic that easily generates a lot more questions than answers, we could probably all use a little brushing up on the legal aspects surrounding 3D printing. ![]() 3D printed guns and firearms have once again become a hot-button issue within the 3D printing industry, as the world’s first 3D printed revolver has just come to light while the New South Wales government has implemented a law that specifically makes owning a 3D printed gun illegal. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |