SXSW 2012

If the growth of the internet taught us anything, it is that not everyone welcomes exciting, disruptive technologies. Impacted industries like film and music demanded that Congress protect them from the internet. In the near future, companies disrupted by the widespread adoption of 3D printing could set off a new wave of DRM and intellectual property (IP) expansion. To understand how this might happen, first you need to understand how IP law applies to things that can be 3D printed. Can you copyright a hammer? Can you patent a sculpture? After explaining how IP applies to objects coming out of a 3D printer, this talk will highlight steps being taken to protect 3D printing from being strangled in Washington, DC.