@Stratasys wants you to only use manufacturer-approved materials in 3D printers @makerbot @jjaglom ….

Adafruit 4711
Just catching up on this one from a couple months ago, Stratasys wants you to only use manufacturer-approved materials in 3D printers. Now that the son of Elchanan (Elan) Jaglom – Chairman of the Board Stratasys, is the CEO of MakerBot (Jonathan Jaglom) it might not be a surprise if MakerBot does wants this too (Stratasys owns MakerBot). Jenny Lawton was CEO of MakerBot and is now Chief Strategy Officer at littleBits, Adafruit was the first (and only?) site to report this, it’s pretty big news, what’s up with that?

Any way, back to Stratasys…

Stratasys respectfully requests that the Librarian deny Petitioners’ proposal to exempt from DMCA liability the circumvention of TPMs controlling access to firmware and software in 3D printers in order to allow for the use of non-manufacturer-approved materials.

Here’s the full text (PDF) and pictured above “This is a DRM chip from a Stratasys cartridge”.

Right to repair has an overview.

The biggest objection to this request came from the 3D printing company Stratasys. Among other things, Stratasys dismisses the idea that anyone actually wants to use unapproved materials in their 3D printers, or that legal uncertainty would reduce the chances of someone feeling comfortable doing so:

‘The only alleged evidence of any person experiencing uncertainty [around using unapproved materials in a 3D printer] consists of a single quote from a comment on a web forum … [a]t a minimum, this comment is merely conclusory or anecdotal evidence that is insufficient to meet the substantial adverse impact standard required by the statute.’

We need your help to show that there is more than a single person on a web forum interested in using materials in 3D printers without permission. We need you to tell the Copyright Office that copyright law should not stand in the way of using whatever material you choose in a 3D printer.

Stratasys is like “Look, it’s just THAT ONE GUY from a web forum, DON’T BE _THAT_ GUY“… That guy is always talking about unlocking his phone, repairing his car and tractor, remixing his media, ripping his DVDs, running his old video games on new computers – what’s wrong with guy, get a LIFE!

Read more & check out the MAKE articleprevious MakerBot coverage here.


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3 Comments

  1. Yup makerbot has really switched gears. Funny enough the only filaments I’ve had trouble with were genuine makerbot…

  2. Seems to me like the very fact that Adafruit sells spools of filament is evidence enough that people want to have generic supplies.

  3. Big business, big government, and big money, don’t like 3d printers.
    The hate that you will eventually be able to print anything, Completely undercutting big business and big government methods of controlling peoples access to various objects.
    (Think, 3d printed drugs, weapons, etc)
    Many of our every day objects require specific materials, in specific combinations, and what better way to prevent all that by making the ammo (materials), illegal under so called intellectual property law. Its the method big govt, big business, and big money all use to manipulate the forward progress of modern society, whilst guaranteeing their future via technology locked away in vaults of IP law. Technology that just sits and waits for their current models of profit to get outdated.
    Its a nightmare for these systems to see a single person be able to produce a product that not only can be made identical, but can be innovated upon and produced instantly. Totally undercutting the IP technology locked in a vault.
    No one will care about IP, when they can print it faster than they can order one from the maker. But if the material is restricted via ANY means or methods (law, IP, supply and demand) it greatly reduced ones ability to replicate an item that requires a specific material. Remember that stratasys confiscated a 3d printer from a person who was printing plastic gun parts.
    This attempt to restrict use of certain materials, will complement a future attempt to literally have all 3d printers illegal unless from specific companies, of which will have ON-LINE only printing ability, so the things being printed can be limited and monitored.
    Eventually all 3dprinters will be required to have federal serial numbers, and be tracked in a central database, have certified dealers, and be lumped into the same restrictions that firearms and firearm parts must follow. The "ammo" of 3d printers will also probably fall under this same framework, with possibly even the ammo having a required "marker" embedded into the material to indicate where it came from and who it was sold to.
    We have a long way to get to that point, but its inevitable, due to the nature of how 3d printers allow so much freedom that it brings the worst nightmares of omnipotent moral busybodies to reality. If we look at history, freedom or security is the end game, and today, we keep choosing security over freedom. The only reason flying drones, and 3d printers aren’t already illegal or restricted to a specific few, is because those in power have no idea what these new technologies are capable of, yet.
    Atomic printers are just on the horizon, imagine what that will make possible. The only way current laws (illegal objects) can be maintained, is to make the future of atomic 3d printers highly restricted. And they must start NOW to make that future reality feasible to the public. This is how it always starts, control via I.P. ownership. (now you understand why they want to make modifying car firmware and 3d printer firmware illegal) (Because cars are also going this way also, (tax you by the mile) and if someone hacks the cars firmware, you can get around being taxed by the mile, etc.. They set the future stage with outrageous restrictions today, so tomorrow it is common place, making it easier to prosecute and jail for things that today, would be considered outrageous to enforce.

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