Patent Parasites: Non-Inventors Patenting Existing Open-Source Inventions in the 3-D Printing Technology Space
Abstract
:1. Introduction
Hardware whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make, and sell the design or hardware based on that design. The hardware’s source, the design from which it is made, is available in the preferred format for making modifications to it. Ideally, open source hardware uses readily-available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure, unrestricted content, and open-source design tools to maximize the ability of individuals to make and use hardware. Open source hardware gives people the freedom to control their technology while sharing knowledge and encouraging commerce through the open exchange of designs.
2. Methods
2.1. Case Study 1: EU Firm Patenting Thermoplastics
2.2. Case Study 2: A U.S. Government Lab Patenting a European Open-Source Hangprinter
2.3. Case Study 3: Bambu Lab, a Chinese Company Patenting the Basic Building Blocks of Additive Manufacturing
- Patent no. CN114043726A (China): “Method and apparatus for 3D printing, storage medium, and program product”, filed on 11 November 2021, current status—pending [69].
- Patent no. CN114474738A (China): “A mechanism and 3D printing system that reloads for 3D printer” filed on 17 January 2022, current status—pending [70].
- Patent no. CN216230793U: “Waste material wiping nozzle mechanism for 3D printer and 3D printer” filed 11 November 2021, granted 8 April 2022 [71].
3. Results
3.1. Case Study 1: Z Corp Patenting Thermoplastic Polymers for Powder-Based 3-D Printing
3.2. Case Study 2: Department of Energy Patenting the Open-Source Hangprinter
3.3. Case Study 3: Comparing Patents Filed by Bambu Lab to the Already Existing Open-Source Technology
3.3.1. Patent No. CN114043726A: “Method and Apparatus for 3D Printing, Storage Medium, and Program Product”
3.3.2. Patent No. CN114474738A: “A Mechanism and 3D Printing System That Reloads for 3D Printer”
3.3.3. Patent No. CN216230793U: “Waste Material Wiping Nozzle Mechanism for 3D Printer and 3D Printer”
4. Discussion
- Inhibiting innovation and slowing development: Patenting already existing open-source technology can hinder innovation by restricting the free flow of ideas and limiting the ability of others to build upon existing knowledge. It could stifle creativity and impede the collaborative nature of the vibrant innovative open-source community. This can hinder the pace of innovation and delay the benefits that open-source 3-D printing can bring to various industries including science [44,48,49,50,52,53,118,119] and medical technology [120,121,122] and reaching sustainable development goals [123,124,125]. For example, new firms may have been unwilling to enter into the construction field with hangprinters because of the patent detailed in the second case study.
- Encouraging monopolies: Granting patents for already existing open-source technology could lead to the creation of IP monopolies [126,127] as companies with patents can control and exclude others from using or improving the technology. This can reduce competition, limit consumer choice, and drive up prices to the detriment of consumers (and in this case, prosumers). For example, multi-material 3-D printing could be brought to a halt in China for all but one company if the patents detailed in the third case study are considered valid.
- Patent thickets: If multiple companies use the patent parasite approach, the patenting of open-source technology could result in patent thickets, where numerous overlapping patents exist for the same or similar technologies. Patent thickets are well-known to create legal complexities, increase the risk of patent infringement lawsuits, and impede progress by making it difficult for innovators to navigate the patent landscape [128,129]. A well-known patent thicket [130] that has stifled modern technology is found in nanotechnology [131,132], which has become so pernicious as to be called a modern “intellectual property tragedy” [133]. An obvious solution is to make nanotechnology open-source for the betterment (and even greater commercial success) of the technological community [134], which provides all the more reason not to patent existing open-source technologies in the AM space. Similarly, a patent thicket would clearly stifle innovation in the 3-D printing industry if many firms claim common 3-D printing materials as was done by one firm in the first case study. The resultant legal morass would not be expected to improve the technology at all but would raise costs for consumers for firms needing to fight lawsuits.
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Kulkarni, A.; Pearce, J.M. Patent Parasites: Non-Inventors Patenting Existing Open-Source Inventions in the 3-D Printing Technology Space. Inventions 2023, 8, 141. https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions8060141
Kulkarni A, Pearce JM. Patent Parasites: Non-Inventors Patenting Existing Open-Source Inventions in the 3-D Printing Technology Space. Inventions. 2023; 8(6):141. https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions8060141
Chicago/Turabian StyleKulkarni, Apoorv, and Joshua M. Pearce. 2023. "Patent Parasites: Non-Inventors Patenting Existing Open-Source Inventions in the 3-D Printing Technology Space" Inventions 8, no. 6: 141. https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions8060141