Michael Weinberg to Discuss “Protecting 3D Printing in Washington DC”

• Did SOPA get you interested in federal technology law? Or perhaps you’ve always been intrigued by intellectual property policy? If so, then you definitely should make plans to attend the Palmetto Open Source Software Conference (POSSCON) this March 28-29 in Columbia, South Carolina.

  Michael Weinberg is an Attorney for Public Knowledge. Public Knowledge is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit which since 2001 has advocated against copyright expansion and for an open Internet. Public Knowledge’s work focuses on the three “IPs” of communications and copyright policy: information policy, intellectual property, and Internet Protocol.

  In Michael’s paper,  “It Will Be Awesome If They Don’t Screw It Up: 3D Printing, Intellectual Property, and the Fight Over the Next Great Disruptive Technology”, he describes 3D printers as “the next great technological disruption brewing just out of sight….The machines can download plans for a wrench from the Internet and print out a real working wrench….Home versions can be had for around $1,000. Every day they get better and move closer to the mainstream.”

  Unfortunately, this amazing power to copy and print real objects is vulnerable to significant restriction through intellectual property law. In the name of fighting “physical goods piracy,” disrupted industries may call on Congress to pass laws mandating certain limiting features be include in new 3D printers. Michael’s talk, entitled “Some People Hate Fun: Protecting 3D Printing and Open Hardware in Washington, DC”, will discuss his work with Public Knowledge to reach out to policymakers before problems arise.