Dr. Dinusha Mendis has published a paper on 3D Printing and its implications for Intellectual Property Law titled “The Clone Wars: Episode 1 – The Rise of 3D Printing and its implications for 3D Printing: Learning Lessons from the Past? The paper was published is the European Intellectual Property Review in February 2013.

In drawing parallels with the entertainment industry and online piracy, this paper highlights the challenges which will be faced by the current Intellectual Property (IP) laws and suggests that rather than focus on stringent IP laws the future lies in adopting new business models in adapting to this new technology. To this effect, the paper suggests some recommendations for the future.

Following the publication of the paper, Dr. Mendis was interviewed by BBC 5Live ‘Outriders’ programme – a programme dedicated to exploring the frontiers of the web. The interview was broadcast on 19 February 2013 and is available here, the relevant section of the interview can be accessed at 15.45 minutes of the programme. In this interview Dinusha speaks to BBC’s Jamillah Knowles about her paper and the challenges which will be faced by intellectual property laws in the wake of 3D printing.