When it comes to IPRs, 3D printing technologies are a double-edged sword. The ability, for everyone, to manufacture at the touch of a button creates both unlimited potential and significant challenges. Indeed, 3D printing not only brings the opportunities of the digital world to the physical world, but also its challenges, one of which is consumer piracy. Will consumers tomorrow pirate as many physical goods as they do today with digital goods? If so, what can firms do about it? The IP related issues brought about by 3D printing actually go far beyond that. As consumers become prosumers, key intellectual assets are built upon the wisdom of crowds and the inventiveness of individual customers. Likewise, corporate innovations are often built upon the contributions of several organisations. In such a context, the questions raised are: ‘what is a good use of IPRs? What is the adequate governance structure? What is the balance between creating value and capturing value?’ The topics discussed in this session are: How businesses can rethink their business models to tackle IP issues; How companies can control information and rights when co-designing products with external parties; How customers’ contributions can be assessed and rewarded within an IP framework.

1. 3D printing: new governance of IPRs for a
new era

2. Ludmila Striukova, University College London
Innovation and Technology Management
Start-up mentor
Editor of International Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Management

3. Current 3D printing landscape
Hard side (printers)
Soft side (processes and products)
FDM (Fused Deposition
Modelling) patents
expired in 2009
Design rights (registered and unregistered) to
protect the shape and configuration of products
Copyright
Laser-sintering patents
to expire in 2014)
protects literary, artistic, musical and dramatic
work in 2D (images/designs which someone might
want to print )
Underlying software to create CAD
Trade marks to protect a recognisable
manufacturer’s brand (words, symbols, distinctive
shapes, etc.)
Business method patents

4. Business method patent
Made-to-order direct digital manufacturing enterprise (US
8515826 B2, Kraftwurx)
online customization services for 3D-printed objects

5. Current 3D printing landscape
•
Purely personal use of 3D printing to make copies of household
objects and spare parts does not infringe design rights, patents
or trade marks
•
•
manufacturers, may be unable to enforce design protection
against private users of 3D printing
With the reproduction of artistic works copyright may be
infringed
•
infringement of works previously difficult to copy

6. Current 3D landscape
Willing or unwilling infringement

10. Current 3D landscape
Willing or unwilling infringement
Increasing contribution via co-creation and crowdsourcing
New ways to manage IP are needed

11. Current IP strategies
Strong regime
Weak regime

12. Strong regime (incentives)
•
creators are only likely to continue contributing in the future if
they can capture a sufficient value
•
•
a strong IPR protection is necessary
a project can be divided into several parts to enable contributors
to participate in one portion of the project only
•
different parts of the project will be protected by different IPRs
Divide et
empera
(paste and
gaze)

13. Weak regime (openness)
•
weaker IPR regimes stimulate creativity and innovation
•
•
artistic creators
open source strategy or open design strategy
•
a centralised design repository (such as Thingiverse)

14. Value capture vs value creation
Greater adoption of 3D printers can develop further opportunities
of crowdsourcing and mass-customisation and increase value
creation.
3D printing can also allow value capture through cost reduction
manufactured on demand, transportation and storage costs are
decreased
cost of manufacturing is borne by consumers

15. Value capture vs value creation
Strong regime
Easy to capture value, but
difficult to create it
Weak regime
Easy to create value, but
difficult to capture it

16. New Landscape

17. Open innovation
Associated with
Open source
code development in the software industry
RepRap
Creative Commons Project
access to contents with less limitation/
standardized licensing terms.
Co-creation
User innovation/crowdsourcing

18. Open innovation:
3D printing co-creation
Design co-creation
Customisation (Cubify Cloud, i.Materialise, Sculpteo)
Co-creation (i.Materialise, Shapeways, iMakr)
Crowdsourcing (Kraftwurx, Additor)
Printing co-creation
Printing services (Shapeways, Sculpteo, i.Materialise, Cubify
Cloud)
Printing marketplace (3DHub, MakeXYZ)
Printing at home

19. Open innovation:
3D printing co-creation

20. Co-ownership
No common legal concept of co-ownership
IP laws regulate the concept of joint inventor, co-creator, and coowner, do not regulate how these rights may be coordinated or
managed
The administration and governance of co-ownership agreements
is complex

21. Co-creating with consumers
Consumers are happy to give up their rights as long
as there is something for them

22. •
3D printing design and production open innovation quests
• redesign the aircraft engine bracket
•
entries from any interested party
• chose ten finalists who received a $1,000 reward
•
designs will be 3D printed and subjected to load testing
•
The top eight will receive awards from a prize pool of
$20,000.

23. Open innovation:
inside out approach
Willing or not
Users/customers with original ideas
Game of thrones iPhone charger

24. New business model
Recent trends
Transaction and enforcement cost
People print on demand

25. New business model:
contractual sharing
Allow use via standardized licensing terms
Standard and affordable fee
Easy verification/payment method
Hardware/software manufactures could offer a license
Usage is verified
License can be revoked

26. Questions?