The growth of 3D technologies impacts on intellectual property (IP) law, leading to a number of implications including copyright, design and licensing issues amongst others. Such challenges question the enforcement, object and purpose of IP laws whilst exploring the opportunities presented through this technology.

These were some of the issues which Professor Dinusha Mendis touched upon, in her invited talk at the Managing Alternatives for Privacy, Property and Internet Governance (MAPPING) Project IP-themed event in Sofia, Bulgaria on 1-2 June 2017.

Professor Mendis drew on her research carried out for the UKIPO and AHRC funded projects to outline challenges for IP whilst questioning what it means for UK IP law in view of Brexit.

MAPPING is a EU FP7 project, which aims to create an all-round and “joined-up” understanding of the many and varied economic, social, legal and ethical aspects of the recent developments on the Internet, and their consequences for individuals and society at large. It specifically capitalises upon and debates the existing innovation policies, business models and legal frameworks related to the implementation of the Digital Agenda for Europe, as well as the changes needed to set up an improved governance structure for the EU innovation ecosystem.

The project is coordinated by the University of Groningen by Professor Jeanne Mifsud-Bonnici and is led by Professor Joe Cannataci of University of Malta and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy.