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Danie Roy

What is invention? When you’re in elementary school, it’s a solution to a problem. As you get older, you realize it can also be a better solution to a problem. Even older, and you simplify down to just “innovation.” But what is innovation? I would argue that it is staying above or driving the technological curve. After all, building a better mousetrap is nice, but cyborg mice is just so much more interesting! (Plus, EMP guns would make the best moustraps, then!)

I bring this up because there seems to be a big freakout about copyrights and 3D printers.  The freakout should really be about patents and 3D printers, and, honestly, I don’t know why there’s not more excitement than doomsday predictions.

Yes, that bunny was made by that box.

Before I get too far into that, I should probably explain the hype about 3D printers. This is a fairly new technology that is pretty much what it sounds like: a printer receives a series of 2D patterns to build up a material that is printed – that is, applied in layers – until a 3D object is formed. All things considered, it is probably the least wasteful modeling technology, but, like I said, it’s still new. It’s really slow, not yet universally affordable (especially the printing materials, which range from $7 to more than $300 per pound), and not yet perfect at what it does. That said, the technological curve is exponential: the technology will be there soon.

The freakout is happening because people think that now, with things like Pirate Bay’s physibles, bootleg items will start popping up left and right. Copyrights groups are shouting anarchy, trademark holders are squirming, and patent holders are giving the death glare. Allow me to explain the implications for patents (because, you know, patents is what I do):

“Eventually you can print your own bootleg crosstrainers” is a comment that has been thrown around a lot. This particular example is a long way off, however, as a 3D printer having 2 different material cartridges is currently a big deal. Single-material shoes, on the other hand, such as, say, Crocs, (which have many patents on them, by the way) need to be more on the lookout. These can (and likely will) get copied and printed with the current technology.  It might currently be cost-prohibitive, but someday soon, it may not be.

Design patents are suddenly way more valuable again. Personal use or not, if you print out or distribute a patented design, you are DEFINITELY violating the law and will likely get your freshly printed pants sued right off of you. We may not be too far off from printing more complex items covered by utility patents, either.

So what can you do? There is going to be a demand to print what you have, how can you protect your rights? Simple: get ahead of the curve.

This actually is a great opportunity. The geeks might as well be screaming at you “hey, this is a potential market, shut up and take our money!” The thing about geeks, especially early adopters, is that they are really proud of their new technology. In some cases, they’re willing to pay a little extra to showcase it. So, let me walk you through an idea to ride the wave of technology instead of aimlessly drowning in it.

Sell licenses to designs. Find a way to watermark the files so that they are more difficult (or impossible, if you can swing it) to copy, and sell them online. Sell kits, even! Material cartridges and a drive with files on it, for example (or a redemption code). To go back to the Crocs example, the early adopting geek will be more than happy to buy that design and print it, if for no other reason than to show off what their technology can do. You need to make a 3D design at some point anyway, right? Plus, if your consumer has those awkwardly-sized feet, they can have a pair that fits, while the manufacturer doesn’t have to make special orders, and the salesman isn’t stuck trying to explain why they won’t sell half a pair of shoes.

How to do it? Make an online market. If you don’t move to profit off of your hard work in a market that wants it, someone else will try to.

“Those whippersnapper pirates will try to steal it anyway!” you object. “They all want to get something for nothing!” I won’t lie to you, some people are going to try to steal no matter what you do, but there will always be an honest bunch who genuinely want to compensate you for what you’ve done. If you don’t offer what they want, however, that’s where things get sticky. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure here.

Knows their audience.

Take the My Little Pony phenomenon, for example. When Hasbro released the 4th generation of a children’s show meant to market pony toys to young girls, they had no idea that the plot and characters would charm an audience that was nowhere near their target demographic. Keep in mind, the actual demographic for this show is pretty close to the demographic that would buy a 3D printer. Hasbro wasn’t ready to deal with this phenomenon, but they quickly adapted: ponies that started to look more like those portrayed on the show were offered for sale, episodes were made available on iTunes, and consumer loyalty was promoted. The company even went as far as giving a fan favorite background pony the name fans had bestowed on it. Once boxed sets of the show were available, “bronies” started buying them. Same goes for iTunes episodes and show-accurate toys. Sure, you’ve got a few people who will continue to download lower-quality versions of the episodes, but most fans are content to either watch their Saturday morning cartoons or buy the iTunes version… or even wait for the episode to get posted online by the company that airs the show!

No, the market will not always stay the way you like it. Occasionally, however, it will tell you exactly where it’s going and how to exploit it. Some will always steal, but there’s very little you can do about that. Adjusting what you offer to capture those who are willing to pay, however, is something you CAN do… so do it. Minimal effort for high profit is a great business strategy, after all.