Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing, more commonly known nowadays as 3D printing, is a relatively recent entry into the public consciousness. However, innovation in this sector goes back many years. From the printers, often optimised for certain tasks or prints, to the ‘inks’ (often resin based but recently metal, ceramic or even 2D-material based feedstocks have been proposed) and the software driving the layer-by-layer deposition printing process, there is a vast potential for invention to break open new possibilities.

The IP landscape around additive manufacture is complicated, partly because it is a relatively new technology, and partly because it covers so many technical fields. For example, protection of software is a complex and jurisdictionally-variable topic, while protection of material ‘inks’ or other physical components is more straightforward. Our experienced team has seen protection granted for all different facets of these technologies, and is able to give the advice you need about which areas of your technology can be patented – and which should.

On the other hand, additive manufacture and the possibilities it presents for rapid and potentially simple reproduction of items can give cause for concern to existing rights holders. We have experience in advising clients about the potential for infringement of patent rights by users of additive manufacturing techniques. For example creation and distribution of designs or CAD files that permit recreation of a protected item, or the production of an item to such a design, may offer different levels of worry to rights holders and may need different approaches to deal with.

We can advise on this potentially tricky area too, making sure that our clients’ innovations are protected from all sides.