The book in front of you is the first international academic volume on
the legal, philosophical and economic aspects of the rise of 3D
printing.
In recent years 3D printing has become a hot topic. Some claim that it
will revolutionize production and mass consumption, enabling consumers
to print anything from clothing, automobile parts and guns to various
foods, medication and spare parts for their home appliances. This may
significantly reduce our environmental footprint, but also offers
potential for innovation and creativity.
At the same time 3D printing raises social, ethical, regulatory and
legal questions. If individuals can print anything they want, how does
this affect existing systems of intellectual property rights? What are
the societal consequences of the various types of products one can print
with a 3D printer, for example weapons? Should all aspects of 3D
printing be regulated, and if so, how and to what ends? How will
businesses (have to) change their way of working and their revenue model
in light of the shift to printing-on-demand? How will the role of
product designers change in a world where everyone has the potential to
design their own products? These and other questions are addressed in
high quality and in-depth contributions by academics and experts,
bringing together a wide variety of academic discussions on 3D printing
from different disciplines as well as presenting new views, broadening
the
discussion beyond the merely technical dimension of 3D printing.
Bibi van den Berg is Associate Professor at eLaw, the Center for Law and
Digital Technologies at Leiden University, The Netherlands. Simone van
der Hof is Full Professor at eLaw in Leiden and Eleni Kosta is Associate
Professor at TILT, the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society
at Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
