3D Printing - General Thread

[marc_reusser]

A thread to post and compile all sorts of info, updates, comments, questions, and discussion regarding 3D printing, that don't fit into a specific subject.

[marc_reusser]

Article in Sunday's Los Angeles times.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-3d-printing-20130728,0,367796.story

Found the info on who was buying who, and the patent expiraation interesting.

[Chuck Doan]

Good idea.

[mabloodhound]

I thought we already had a thread for this?
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=2096.0

[marc_reusser]

3-D printing hits copyright laws......

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-13/3-d-printing-stirs-copyright-clash-on-homemade-iphone-gear-tech.html

[Chuck Doan]

This is just beginning. Good time to become a lawyer. Just wait till the self-driving cars start running amok!

[finescalerr]

In the entertainment industry "anti-piracy" laws have run amok. If you have a tiny Internet radio station that 750 people listen to and play any commercial track you must pay a royalty, even if your station deliberately does not generate income, even if it is simply for the enjoyment of a few people, and even if the law makes you go broke. Similarly, if I were hired by the conductor to record an orchestra's rehearsal, I legally can make only one disk. Were I to make a copy for everyone in the orchestra so they could evaluate the rehearsal I am in violation of copyright law.

If this greedy kind of megalomania extends to 3D printing, and I have no doubt it will, it might end up being illegal for us to create and share parts to build up six 1:35 scale 1915 era gasoline pumps.

Our country has become a corruption of what the Constitution intended, like a painting of Dorian Gray. One day somebody will lift the curtain and reveal the hideous truth.

Russ

[Hauk]

O yes, 3D printing will feed a new generation of copyright lawyers.
I think Russ will be proven right, copyright holders are just starting to realise the potential of copyright infringement by 3D printing.

I searched the Shapeways shop with the word "LEGO" and got over 800 hits. It is only a matter of time before LEGO unleashes a pack of hired guns upon SW.

[David King]

I guess I'll be the contrarian here.  I do think it's very important that we respect copyright/trademark/patent laws, (I suspect the Lego issue is really a patent issue), regardless of how we feel about the corporate entities that may be over-zealous about pursuing infringers these laws are important and I shudder to think what the world would be like without them.    Also, the 3D printing angle on this is irrelevant, I'm not even sure why it even needs to brought up.   Copyright infringement is copyright infringment, it doesn't matter a lick wether that copy is made by a machine or by human hands.  That article is making much of nothing.

David

[finescalerr]

The fear, Dave, is not about reasonable law enforcement. Nobody would argue against that. It is about potentially abusive law enforcement, as in the examples I offered. -- Russ

[Hauk]

(I suspect the Lego issue is really a patent issue)

Nope, the last LEGO patent expired in 1989. But maybe they are not so concerned about knockoffs on the actual blocks, since a the most important part of their business these days are Star Wars and Harry Potter kits. And may the force be with you if you try to mess with the Star Wars copyright holders!

For the record, as a former professional photographer I am not against copyright laws. But enforcing copyright should be balanced against fair use. It seems to me that the latter is more and more narrowly defined.

And speaking of copyright law:
http://agoraphilia.blogspot.no/2009/08/copyright-duration-and-mickey-mouse.html

[David King]

I agree, some companies can be just bullies about it, in particular when it comes to trademark, though they are legally obligated to to defend their trademark or lose it, but the Game of Thrones thing appears to be a copyright issue.  However, any time you put a price tag on it you're likely to attract the attention of the corporate lawyers.  The commerical allowances for "Fair use" are very narrow, and frankly I believe they should be.  An artist designed that throne, someone paid him to do it and now HBO owns the rights to anything created for that show, why shouldn't they take legal action against someone trying to profit off their creation without their permission?  I'm siding with HBO in this case, they are perfectly justified.  How about this, instead of copying the designs of others, why not exercise our imagination and come up with our own creations?

What I do take issue with is corporations that take their defense of trademark and copyright beyond the limits and use intimidation and deep pockets to scare the accused from fighting them, that is definately a problem.  Sometimes you can blame the government for allowing some things to be trademarked or even patented that shouldn't.  Good examples there is the Selden Patent that luckily Henry Ford had the pluck to fight and defeat and in modern times "Life is Good".  I still can't beleive a trademark was allowed to be registered for such a common phrase.

David

[Stoker]

Our country has become a corruption of what the Constitution intended, like a painting of Dorian Gray. One day somebody will lift the curtain and reveal the hideous truth.

Russ

For me that day was a Tuesday in September 12 years ago, but the vast majority of people still insist on playing along and pretending they don't see anything wrong. The day when that is no longer possible may be coming soon.

[finescalerr]

Here is a very interesting article (and it's short): http://www.tomsguide.com/us/3d-printing-new-materieals,news-17375.html. It talks about 3-D prints using materials other than plastic, such as clay, wood, or paper. There's also a link to some 3-D printer recommendations.

My guess is that the use of non-plastic materials is best for 1:1 production (and probably not ready for prime time) but as technology develops, or if we use sandpaper, it might be possible to produce modeling parts in a few years.

Russ

[marc_reusser]

Article on 3D technology for sculptors

http://innovationews.com/innovation-news-releases/sculpture-depot-3d-workshops-demonstrate-convergence-of-art-and-technology/