CECIMO raises concerns regarding recent EU resolution on Additive Manufacturing
July 19, 2018
CECIMO, the European Association for the Machine Tool Industries, has raised concerns following a non-binding resolution on Additive Manufacturing released by the European Parliament on July 3, 2018. The resolution, ‘Three-dimensional printing: intellectual property rights and civil liability’, underlines the advantages of AM for the economy and society, the production status achieved by AM in various sectors and the need for new rules supporting faster certification for parts in the manufacturing process.
However, CECIMO notes that the resolution also calls for the European Commission to consider a potential revision of the Liability and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regulatory framework for Additive Manufacturing in the EU, drawing attention to the feasibility of national copyright levy systems for AM. In doing so, the association stated that the European Parliament has disregarded the negative impact such measures can have on innovation, as well as significant economic inefficiencies – including the administrative burden that copyright levy systems impose on the development of AM in Europe.
In an official statement, the association stated, “CECIMO is glad that the European Parliament recognises the added value of 3D printing and its technological, economic and environmental benefits for Europe. We urge the European Institutions, however, to firmly differentiate between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) uses of the technology, when approaching 3D printing from a regulatory perspective. 3D printing production methods are already subject to a high level of requirements in the sectors where this production method is applied.”
“Europe has a key position in several segments of the 3D printing market world-wide. For the full adoption of the technology to take place across the continent, it is of the utmost significance to avoid new regulatory actions on liability and IPR, which would stifle innovation and slow down the uptake of 3D printing in EU countries,” the statement concluded.
The adoption of the resolution requires a mandatory response from the European Commission, which has been asked to outline its views and intentions on this topic, within three months. CECIMO reported that it will continue to engage closely with European Commission officials to raise the message that the current patchwork of liability and IPR rules is already fit for purpose in the European Additive Manufacturing landscape.
