Recently I wrote about the changing nature of products as a result of increasingly available consumer grade 3D printing technology, a topic that continues to bump around inside my head.
Yesterday I read an article about a DRM system to address the exposure that manufacturers face with products printed using 3D printers for which the products themselves have not been printed.
The worry for manufacturers is that because the CAD files that carry directions for manufacturing objects are digital too, they’ll be just as easy to duplicate and re-distribute as an mp3 or a movie.
One big difference is that you can’t copyright objects. That’s because copyright applies to creative works but not to “useful articles.” You can, however, patent a new invention or product design, and Myhrvold’s system is a way to make sure no one prints patented ideas without compensating their inventor.
Ultimately this will result in the same fate that DRM for music had, which is that it will be circumvented and ultimately dropped in the interests of customer experience. Manufacturers will no doubt embrace DRM initially in a reactive mode to protect what they have, but over the long term successful competitive advantage will come from embracing 3D printing with new business models that reflect a redefinition of what a product is.
(Cross-posted @ Venture Chronicles)
At the Free Software Foundation, we’ve provided a way for people to avoid DRM-afflicted printers (and other computer-related equipment) — a certification program called “Respects Your Freedom.” Coincidentally on the same day that IV’s patent was granted, we announced our first certification — a 3D printer sold by Aleph Objects. Neither this printer nor any future product certified under the program will have DRM. This will make it easier for people to avoid buying printers that are defective by design, and to support companies who do things a better way.
Details of the program are at http://www.fsf.org/ryf.
What happens when your open-source printer prints a patented product or worse…is used to print a controlled part such as a automatic weapon variant of the lower receiver for an AR-15?
1.) The ATF or FBI will beat down your door.
2.) They will seize your printer that allowed this.
3.) They will lock you away in a room
4.) They will throw away the room, not just the key.
5.) Repeat for the next person.
The Federal government regulates weapons, drugs, and lots of other things from being exported, imported or otherwise being “made” illegally. This fight, although noble is fraught with challenges that could land the ones making it happen in hot water. I encourage you to tread lightly as anyone or anything that challenges the sanctity and sovereignty of the USA or its security may be viewed as an enemy of the state. Subversive moves get the same treatment. Think LONG and hard before you make brash statements.
We want 3D Printing to help change the world too but we don’t want to be viewed as vigilantes or thugs.
Good luck and be careful