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Pennsylvania State University launched a new course on additive design and manufacturing (AMD) postgraduate program to deal with legal issues in the sector.
"Additive manufacturing disrupts product design and the way we make parts," said Timothy W. Simpson, Paul Morrow Professor of Engineering Design and Manufacturing at Penn State and Director of the AMD Program.
"It also upsets the way we protect our intellectual property. Most engineers are not prepared to think about the impact this will have on how their company will provide new products and services with AM. "
Legal issues in additive manufacturing
The newly proposed course, AMD 597, Legal Issues in Additive Manufacturing, is one of the first of its kind among all 3D printing programs. Starting this summer, the course integrates graduate courses in several departments, such as mechanical, industrial and manufacturing engineering; engineering and mechanical sciences; and science and engineering of materials.
Taught by Daniel R. Cahoy, Professor of Business Law, this course aims to teach the basics of creating valid legal contracts, cybersecurity and the protection of the right to privacy. as well as an understanding of patents and trade secrets in support of innovation in additive manufacturing. In addition, the course seeks to encourage Students become both technical experts and emerging opinion leaders in the 3D printing industry.
"Additive manufacturing creates new ethical dilemmas with which businesses must struggle," said Simpson. "Therefore, we must prepare our AMD students for these challenges, especially when they take on leadership roles within companies looking to mine AM."
Intellectual property for 3D designs
The protection of intellectual property is of particular concern to 3D printing because of the digital nature of 3D designs and the ease of their dissemination. Michael Weinberg, Executive Director at New York University Law – The Engelberg Center on Law and Innovation Policy had previously compared the Varsity Brands case against Star Athletica to the current state of intellectual property protection of printed objects in 3D. Although this case focuses on clothing, it highlights some copyright protection rights applicable to 3D printing.
Although the Varsity Brands case against Star Athletica has now been tried by the Supreme Court, the notion of control over a design is still in flux. As Weinurg has said 3D printing industry, "There is an ongoing legal or political dispute that concerns people interested in 3D printing. If you took an intellectual property lawyer in the early 1980s and threw it into the environment today, he would not recognize it very much.
Christopher Higgins, partner and co-director of the 3D printing group of the Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP law firm, who helped develop the new Penn State course, said: "Legal issues, particularly the intellectual property, are at the forefront of the concerns of additive manufacturing companies ".
"As an engineer, having an understanding of the legal issues that can arise during additive manufacturing can make you a valuable badet to a business. It's a skill set that most engineers do not have at the school's exit, making this course a unique opportunity at Penn State. "
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The image shown shows a "hybrid manufactured" Inconel component, additively manufactured, then precision machined. This component was produced in collaboration with Penn State's CIMP-3D system.
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