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Patent Expiration

Former Member

Hello All,

I keep hearing that the major patent for 3D printing will be expired in Feb. 2014.

1. What pataent and technology they are refering to? What is the patent number?

2. What will be the effect of this on open sourde development?

3. Is any body working on this

 

Regards

Ben

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  • 0

    Coder27 is right that its Laser Sintering.  The patents will expire in February of 2014.  To determine how this will effect open source look at Fused deposition printing.  Once these patents expired RepRap and Makerbot was created.  You will see this same thing happen.

     

    Nate

  • 0 in reply to Nate1616

    I am not up on my patent law or even much of the basics regarding patents; however, given such excitement for the expiration as well as the financial implications, shouldn't there be a concern that the patent holder will renew the relavant patents?  Thanks for an explanation on this one.

    David

  • 0 in reply to interested1

    David Scheltema wrote:

     

    I am not up on my patent law or even much of the basics regarding patents; however, given such excitement for the expiration as well as the financial implications, shouldn't there be a concern that the patent holder will renew the relavant patents?  Thanks for an explanation on this one.

    David

    IANAL, but my understanding is that patents are not renewable.  You get a 20-year monopoly on the use of an idea (which is supposed to be original and non-obvious) in exchange for publishing it immediately (so others can improve on it) and allowing your rights to it to expire after the 20 year period.  Copyrights last much, much longer.

     

    Throughout history we have seen huge surges in progress and innovation as soon as fundamental patents expired: two such examples are the steam engine and the aeroplane.

  • 0 in reply to johnbeetem

    , thanks for the primer.  I was conflating the patent and copyright systems as well as thinking of how pharmaceutical companies change drug structures when their patents expire.

    David

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