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Science and Technology Law

University of San Diego

Product liability

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Regulating Three-Dimensional Printing: The Converging Worlds Of Bits And Atoms, Lucas S. Osborn Jun 2014

Regulating Three-Dimensional Printing: The Converging Worlds Of Bits And Atoms, Lucas S. Osborn

San Diego Law Review

Three-dimensional printing (3D printing) is invading society, bringing with it the ability to “print” objects (atoms) from computer files (bits). Posting a computer-assisted design (CAD) file of an object—an illegal gun or an infringing shoe—to the Internet essentially makes the physical object available to the world. The technology portends dramatic shifts in manufacturing, trade, medicine, and more and will require a legal regime that integrates the legal concepts governing the digital and physical worlds. This Article represents the first broad descriptive and normative study of this technology and its multivalent effects on law. The Article separates truly novel legal issues …