Wired On 3-D Printers As Fraud Enablers

An anonymous reader writes Citing a report from the Gartner Group estimating $100 billion in intellectual property losses within five years, Joshua Greenbaum warns of "the threat of a major surge in counterfeiting" as cheap 3-D printers get more sophisticated materials. Writing for Wired, Greenbaum argues that preventing counterfeiting "promises to be a growth market," and suggests that besides updating IP laws, possible solutions include nanomaterials for "watermarking" authentic copies or even the regulation of 3-D printing materials. Major retailers like Amazon are already offering 3-D print-on-demand products — though right now their selection is mostly limited to novelties like customized bobbleheads and Christmas ornaments shaped like cannabis leaves. Apropos: Smithonian Magazine has an article that makes a good companion piece to this one on the long political history of the copy machine, which raised many of the same issues being rediscovered in the context of 3-D printing.

Comments

Note that this is a little different from software

[Shados]

For software, generally speaking the copy is exactly the same as the original. No one collects software (only their medium), and its unlimited.

Even with 3d printers, objects are limited (you can't copy them indefinitely, you'll run out of material), and right now at least, until star trek replicators happen, they're not the same as the original (unless the original was 3d printed too i guess). There can be difference in qualities, and the originals may be collectibles... just like a painting can be replicated, but its the original that's worth something.

So being able to tell the originals from the copies apart kind of matters this time around.

Re: Note that this is a little different from soft

[BlueTrin]

I have talked to a tourist in London who admitted to me that he is travelling to London to copy art pieces. This person would take pictures of art in multiple directions and send it to manufacturers in China who would use the picture to build a 3d model and use a 3d printer to make a mold. From the mold you could produce cheap replicas for hotels and offices for people who would not mind too much. You do not have to 3d print everything just make molds. Of course this limits the use of such techniques. I was a bit surprised that the person would tell so much to a random stranger.

Re:What kind of counterfeits are they worried abou

[Anonymous Coward]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L1fxe2Sk1c
http://www.thebigchilli.com/features/search-for-thailands-elusive-replica-supercars-goes-on

Chris Pongpitaya Schoenes Co.
229/3-4 Soi Akamai 7, Sukhumvit 63
Bangkok 10110 Thailand
Phone +66 2392 4177

Re:IP law

[rsilvergun]

Actually it's suppose to be about not losing knowledge. It's not a reward. It's a social contract. You agree to make your knowledge available for all to use with only limited restrictions and in return we grant you a limited time monopoly. This way knowledge doesn't get locked up behind a guild system. When all this stuff was created guilds were still active and fresh in people's minds...