1 Topic by DePartedPrinter

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Topic: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

Don't know how I missed this before. This is pretty big news for any SLA printer start-ups. 

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2014/12/0 … ettlement/

Details of the two companies’ financial deal were not revealed in the court filings dismissing the patent lawsuit earlier this week. But a new 3D Systems filing with the SEC lays out the price tag: Formlabs gets a “worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty bearing” license to eight 3D Systems patents in exchange for 8 percent of Formlabs’ net sales.

Bad news for the future of hobby SLA printers.

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2 Reply by AZERATE

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

That's brutal

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3 Reply by IronMan

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

8% Wow!  In my world, 3-5% is the norm; but that does not take into account an infringement issue on the part of Formlabs; willful or not...on second thought, maybe the 8% is actually pretty lenient.

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4 Reply by n2ri (edited by n2ri 2015-02-10 09:14:01)

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

there are a few other similar companies but they dont make as large of build area printer. so not really competition for "professional use" and cost is much lower so wouldnt even pay lawyers lunch accounts. kinda like fishermen have to just deal with the small fish stealing bait. its called rebait. lol

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5 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

IronMan wrote:

maybe the 8% is actually pretty lenient.

+1

It wouldn't have been 8% if Formlabs had approached 3Dsystems first.

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6 Reply by DePartedPrinter

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

I'm surprised 3d Systems didn't just buy Formlabs.

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7 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

You can't buy someone that doesn't want to be bought. I'm sure that was an option.

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8 Reply by Serin

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

Ah good. Wouldn't want an immensely useful and transformative technology to be out of the hands of multi-million dollar corporations... That'd just be disastrous....

This is a crowd funding thing that I'm running: http://www.gofundme.com/bvi140 It's for pretty selfish reasons tongue

9 Reply by machinistjoe

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

I wonder if the same thing will happen with the DLP printers? I think envisiontec uses that approach.

10 Reply by sigiel

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

Too bad they are loosing there patents bit by bit, now anybody and there mother can use SL tech.

http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/12/2 … -overview/

11 Reply by Tin Falcon (edited by Tin Falcon 2015-02-22 14:09:21)

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Re: Formlabs lawsuit settlement

Why is it too bad? It is 30 year old technology IMHO  time to let others in on it.

Today, any big company will tell you that the limited monopoly of a patent or copyright gives them a head start and ultimately fosters innovation and competition.

the 30 year limit encourages the development of new improved technologies. And sometimes holding onto a pattern stifles the product. In the days of VCR tapes Beta max format was superior And Sony held the patent closely. . But JVC licences out the VHS format to anyone willing to pay royalties and the technology thrived.  that is until better cheaper storage formats were developed.  IIRC the patents outlived the technology in the case of compact video tapes. IMHO the current trend is many technologies are pushed aside by new technology long before the patent expires. So whoever develops the new technology and patents it has the competitive edge.

What I think is sad is the other countries that blatenly copy things and disregard Patent laws.

BTW thanks for the link.
Tin

Edited: beta was developed by sony,  jvc had the VHS patent.

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