High Court Ruling Likely to Spur 3-D Printing Copyrights

A U.S. Supreme Court decision on cheerleader uniform design copyrights will expand the number of 3-D printed objects with intellectual property protection, attorneys told Bloomberg BNA March 22.

The Supreme Court’s 6-2 ruling in Star Athletica LLC v. Varsity Brands Inc. established a single test for separating an object’s creative elements, which can be protected by copyright, from unprotected functional elements.

The new test clarifies copyrightability rules, but it will likely shrink the number of 3-D printed objects in the public domain that are available for anyone to use, Michael Weinberg, general counsel for 3-D printing marketplace Shapeways Inc., said. ...