Printing Objects "Great leaps forward in technology - and a big drop in machinery costs - have placed 3D printing within reach of the global masses."1 Currently 3D printing, or additive manufacturing as it is also known, is the cutting-edge of prototyping and manufacturing technology. This method of manufacturing creates, or rather builds, an object by laying down very thin layers of material, layer upon layer, from 3D model data. The primary advantages to this fabrication technique are its ability to create almost any shape or geometric feature. Also, the quantity of waste material is minimized and with low machinery costs, personal manufacturing is made possible. 3D printing has been around for more than twenty-five years and has rapidly evolved ever since. "[These] recent leaps in technology have opened up a new world of possibilities."2 Today it is possible to accurately print objects in various materials at a relatively low cost, which makes this technique accessible for a large public. Already tools, car parts, architectural models, fashion, shoes and even uniquely shaped food can be created with 3D printers. These aspects make one wonder about the future role 3D printing will play in the everyday life of consumers. However, new technology often arrives hand-in-hand with new ethical and/or legal issues. In this case, the intellectual property rights issues should not be overlooked. Where does the designer or original creator of an object stand, when the 3D model data of the designs can easily be downloaded, resulting in the reproduction of the design in numerous materials by numerous of people? Although the potential misuse is clear, what is unclear is under which category such misuse should fall. An intellectual property right entitles its holder to an exclusive right of (temporary) use for a particular field. Intellectual property rights can be divided into two main categories: industrial property rights and the literary and artistic property rights. Industrial property rights, like patents, relate to intangible property, creations, and ideas that play an economic role in production and distribution processes, such as inventions and industrial designs. These rights may also apply to distinctive signs, such as trademarks. Literary and artistic property rights, like copyright, protect original works of authorship, fixed in any tangible medium or expression. These rights concern music, literary works, paintings, sculptures, photographs etc.3 Thus, intellectual property rights consist of multiple forms, which can be violated in multiple ways with the 3D printing technique. The complexity of these quandaries is not as straightforward as one would initially think. For instance, one reproduces the 'Vacu Vin Vacuum Wine Saver' with the 3D printing technique. In this case, the intellectual property is violated in both the industrial and artistic rights. On the one hand the way the Vacu Vin vacuum seals the wine bottle is patented, on the other hand the design of the product is protected by copyright. In other words, if one does not want to infringe on the intellectual property rights of the Vacu Vin, the newly printed object needs to be adjusted in both design and its sealing method. Therefore, the newly printed object is no longer considered a copy. This example illustrates the fact that objects cannot just be reproduced without legal consequences. As one can imagine, the intellectual property right issues regarding 3D printing particularly arise due to the role of the involved digital information combined with a new manufacturing process that is out of the designer's hand. When developing 3D model data for a physical end product, a digital blueprint (i.e. a source code) is created suited for manufacturing with a 3D printer. The fact that digital information forms the basis of 3D printing processes is an important difference from the contemporary reproduction processes, where end products are reproduced or copied. In other words, the crucial aspect is that there is a difference between the reproduction from the source code (i.e. the 3D model data) and the imitation or copy of the end product. Therefore, the product reproduced from the source code is, in fact, a clone. Furthermore, the increasing use of the Internet and the digitalization of creations have the effect that these creations are more vulnerable for misuse, since its distribution is facilitated by the digital format. Also, the fact that little can be monitored on the Internet is a concern regarding the violation of intellectual property rights. So, designers and creators need to take into account that the risk of infringement on their property rights increases when publishing 3D model data of their designs on digital platforms. Now, considering the questions mentioned in the introduction, one may assume that in the future the intellectual property rights will still protect its holder's creations, inventions, and ideas against copying, imitating, reproducing, and even cloning by second parties. These rights protect authentic digitally created models as well as they protect an end product against being copied into a digitalized model. In that sense, nothing actually changes regarding the position of the original creator and his rights, within the development of the 3D printing technique. Nevertheless, with the involvement of digital data as a source and the Internet as a possible facilitator in this new manufacturing process, creations will become more vulnerable to misuse. These aspects will increase the risks for intellectual property infringement. So, the today's designer needs to carefully consider what his aim is with his creation and how he wants his efforts to be acknowledged. Once that is clear, the way the creation is distributed is the key element. All in all, although unlawful reproduction is of all times, what is new with 3D printing is the method of reproduction. Unlike the conventional reproduction process where the end product is imitated into a copy, a creation reproduced from 3D model data with the 3D printer, is considered a clone. Although the open and accessible character of this method does not threaten the intellectual property rights of the original creator itself, it does entail the need for the original creator to be aware of the increasing risks of infringement on their rights, while using the 3D printing technique and 3D model data. Bibliography Maxwell, Chris, '3D PRINTING : Taking business to another dimension', Director, vol. 65 (2012), 10, pg. 60. http://economie.fgov.be/nl/ondernemingen/Intellectuele_Eigendom/Innovatie_en_IE/wat/ 1 Maxwell, Chris (2012), pg. 60. 2 Maxwell, Chris (2012), pg. 60. 3 http://economie.fgov.be/nl/ondernemingen/Intellectuele_Eigendom/Innovatie_en_IE/wat/ (16 Oktober 2012)