3-D printing: adding a new dimension to intellectual property?

Thesis

3D printing is a phrase often seen in the media in relation to wondrous or troubling developments in manufacturing, health, arms and myriad other areas. The growth of 3D printing has the potential to have a major economic impact, and while we may be at a tilting point with regard to the relationship between 3D printing and intellectual property law, whether the future will see it as a truly ‘disruptive’ element remains to be seen.

This dissertation identifies three key issues for intellectual property and highlights how 3D printing raises both old and new questions in the areas of copyright, trade mark and patent law. In looking at these focal areas it analyses the extent to which existing regimes are capable of answering some of the difficult questions 3D printing may raise. It does so with the aim of questioning whether the newness of these issues is primarily fuelled by media buzz and a fear regarding the status quo, or whether 3D printing is inherently disruptive.

While the idea of printing a car or a watch may be as novel to the layman as the Star Trek Replicator, the host of issues that come with this new technology are not so fantastic or beyond comprehension. In dealing with many of the questions raised by 3D printing we need to keep a mind to questions that IP law has addressed in the past in relation to disruptive technologies. Some areas may benefit from new legislation or amendments. For others, it is clear that what is required is a re-interpretation of existing legal principles. Either way, while the technology may be new, it does not require us to re-write our IP law. At least not yet.

Authors: Khurshid, Z

• Type of award: MPhil
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Trade Mark; Copyright; 3D Printing; IPR; Intellectual Property Rights; Patent
• Subjects: Intellectual Property Rights; Law