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CECIMO, the European Association of the Machine Tool Industries, has said the European Parliament risks stifling 3D printing innovation by introducing premature regulatory measures to protect Intellectual Property.
The European Parliament recently released a non-binding resolution entitled ‘Three-dimensional printing: intellectual property rights and civil liability’, with 631 votes in favour, 27 against, and 19 abstentions. It called for sterner parameters surrounding IP infringements and has suggested a potential revision of the Liability and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regulatory framework for 3D printing within the European Union, and has also raised the feasibility of national copyright levy systems.
Copyright levies act as a tax that consumers have to pay when purchasing an electronic device. It would act as a similar legislation to that introduced to compensate for consumers making cassette copies of music to share with friends. CECIMO, however, believes a recommendation of a national copyright levy disregards the negative impact measures of this type can have on innovation, as well as the ‘significant economic inefficiencies’.
The resolution did underline the advantages of 3D printing in a range of key vertical markets and called for speedier certification for parts in the manufacturing process. But from CECIMO’s standpoint, introducing more stringent regulations will only hinder the current progression.
“CECIMO is glad that the European Parliament recognises the added value of 3D printing and its technological, economic, and environmental benefits for Europe. We urge the European Institutions, however, to firmly differentiate between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) uses of the technology, when approaching 3D printing from a regulatory perspective,” a CECIMO press release read. “3D printing production methods are already subject to a high level of requirements in the sectors where this production method is applied.”
Since a majority voted in favour of this resolution, it requires a mandatory response within three months from the European Commission, which has been requested to outline its views and intentions on this topic. CECIMO plans to work closely with European Commission officials to promote the notion that the current patchwork of liability and IPR rules is already fit for purpose in the European 3D printing landscape.
