3D printing is quite possibly the next greatest chapter in the industrial revolution, and the technology is moving rapidly. 3D printing, or “additive manufacturing,” has been around since the 1980s. In the past few years, however, the technology has developed at an unprecedented rate, resulting in 3D printing becoming a significant industry with tremendous innovative potential for many applications - from dental and medical, to automotive, aerospace, military, fashion, food, eyewear, and construction.
Forecasters predict that 3D printing will democratize manufacturing, allowing every individual with the means to buy a printer to become a manufacturer and market his or her products to others. As such, 3D printing presents myriad of legal challenges, and our 3D printing focused lawyers are poised to assist.
Although much of the law in this area is still unfolding, we are already handling legal matters involving 3D printing, including seeking patent protection for 3D printing technology and computer-aided 3D prototyping devices. Our cross-disciplinary team at Reed Smith includes lawyers well-versed in health care reimbursement, intellectual property, commercial litigation, insurance coverage, data privacy, private equity investment, environmental issues, collaboration, co-promotion and licensing agreements, clinical trials, data privacy, indemnity, and regulatory issues. We closely follow the developing legal landscape with respect to 3D printing, and we are well-prepared to provide assistance to companies in the 3D printing industry as regulatory, reimbursement, and litigation issues continue to emerge.
We are able to support the wide variety of companies – like yours – entering this industry, including medical device, pharmaceutical, and industrial manufacturers; health care providers; and other manufacturing clients producing or utilizing 3D printing technology and devices. Our lawyers routinely write and speak about a variety of 3D printing topics, including our recent white papers, “3D Printing of Manufactured Goods: An Updated Analysis” and “3D Printing of Medical Devices: When a Novel Technology Meets Traditional Legal Principles”.
