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OVERVIEW:As 3D printers become more widely available, additive manufacturing will challenge the traditional forms of intellectual property (IP) protection in a significant way. This paper presents an integrated technical and legal discussion on IP concerns related to additive manufacturing. It discusses the key technology concepts driving the IP issues as well as giving an overview of how the current U.S. legal system addresses these concerns. The paper then provides insight into approaches that are being adopted to address some of the emerging issues as well as to streamline and update the IP protection capabilities of the international community. Finally, some recommendations are provided regarding potential policy directions that could be taken by the United States to protect IP while still enabling innovation.
Kurfess et al. (Thu,) studied this question.