[New York Times]
… It won’t be long before people have a 3D printer sitting at home alongside an old inkjet counterpart. These 3D printers, some already costing less than a computer did in 1999, can print objects by spraying layers of plastic, metal or ceramics into shapes.
People can download plans for an object, select print, and a few minutes later have it in their hands. Call it the Industrial Revolution 2.0. Not only will it change the nature of manufacturing, but it will further challenge our concept of ownership and copyright. …
… After Lombardi posted his invention on Thingiverse, someone else downloaded the design and began selling a finished Lucky Charms Cereal Sifter on a competing website for $30. Because the sifter is a useful object (although some might argue otherwise) and not simply decorative, there was nothing Lombardi could have done to stop the competitor. A recent research paper published by the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California, titled “The Future of Open Fabrication,” said 3D printing would be “manufacturing’s Big Bang,” as jobs in manufacturing, many overseas, and jobs shipping products around the globe are replaced by companies setting up 3D fabrication labs in stores to print objects rather than ship them. The disregard for copyright smoothes the way for this shift. Given the choice to download a mug, or deal with Ikea, what would you choose?