Joint presentation will bring 3D Intellectual Property issues into focus
MORRISVILLE, N.C., Feb 8, 2012– Geomagic®, the leading provider of 3D software for creating and inspecting digital models of physical objects, today announced that Tom Kurke, COO, alongside Michael Weinberg, Staff Attorney for Public Knowledge, will be presenting at this year’s Faro 3D Documentation Conference, in Orlando, FL., Feb 21-22, 2012.
The session, titled “It Will Be Awesome If They Don’t Screw It Up: Bringing IP Issues in Digital Documentation into FOCUS,” will address questions about intellectual property rights and how they can affect the things that you capture, modify and make in 3D.
In this session Tom and Michael will walk the audience through a complex, confusing, and sometimes nonsensical legal landscape which intersects with object and scene-based 3D capture workflows using specific illustrative examples.
“Technology democratization is moving scene-based data capture, once restricted as a niche application in the plant and process industries, into the mainstream,” commented Tom Kurke. “Sitting squarely at the intersection between this new technology wave and its long term usefulness is an unlikely issue – namely, intellectual property law as it currently exists and maybe modified in the future. This session will help the attendees to spot issues and make practice recommendations to work around them.”
Michael Weinberg added, "Before considering the ramifications of mainstream adoption of 3D capture and printing, it is critical to understand the current state of intellectual property law. That means understanding how things like copyright and patents do - and do not - apply to the physical world today.”
All stakeholders (hardware and software manufacturers, owner/operators of constructed assets, service providers, etc.) in the ‘Create, Modify and Make’ ecosystem need to understand the current lay of the land on intellectual property law and how changes might impact them in the future. This is not a speculative concern for the future, it is something to be considered now.
The session will cover such questions as: What is intellectual property? Can you copyright a building? Who “owns” public spaces? What if you capture a sculpture? Do you have the right to manufacture replacement jigs for a production process you did not create? Can a building be a sculpture? Sometimes the answers will make sense. Often times they will confound.
You can register for the Faro 3D event now at: http://3d-documentation-conference.com/
Note: This joint presentation should not be taken as a Geomagic policy statement that it endorses or supports all of the policy decisions taken by Public Knowledge relating to intellectual property law. The content delivered at the presentation delivers Mr. Kurke’s position only and should not be attributed to Geomagic.
About Public Knowledge
Public Knowledge (www.publicknowledge.com) preserves the openness of the Internet and the public's access to knowledge, promotes creativity through balanced copyright, and upholds and protects the rights of consumers to use innovative technology lawfully.
About Geomagic
Geomagic (www.geomagic.com) is a global company dedicated to advancing and applying 3D technology for the benefit of humanity. Geomagic’s scanning and design software solutions are used to capture and model 3D content from physical objects, organically sculpt complex shapes, and prepare products for manufacturing. In addition, the company produces powerful 3D metrology and inspection software that verifies dimensional quality by comparing as-built products to master designs. Geomagic’s Sensable Phantom haptic devices simulate the sense of touch in a digital environment.
Geomagic’s software and hardware are utilized by world-class customers in a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, medical, consumer products, toys, collectibles, coindesign, jewelry, fine art, heritage restoration, research, education, mold making, entertainment, training and surgical simulation. In fact, some of the world’s leading companies and research organizationsuse Geomagic software, including Ford, BMW,Boeing, Harley Davidson, Timberland, Mattel/Fisher Price, Lego, Pratt & Whitney, NASA, Schneider Electronic, 3M, Danaher and Invisalign. Geomagic is based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA, with an office in Boston, subsidiaries in Europe and Asia, and channel partners worldwide.
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