3D printing technology evolves through advances in software, hardware, and materials. Inventions in 3D printing hardware and materials are eligible for U.S. patent protection. Software is a different story. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2014 Alice decision sets a tough-to-meet standard for patenting software-implemented inventions. Under Alice, if an invention is directed to an “abstract idea”—and most software-implemented inventions are—then to be patent-eligible the invention must contain an “inventive concept” that transcends mere computer implementation of code.
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