Treatstock Introduces Watermark 3D Software Solution for IP Protection of 3D Printable Files

Formnext Germany

Share this Article

In the 3D printing world, there are a few problems that continuously crop up, and they range from mere annoyances, like poor bed adhesion, to serious concerns like intellectual property theft. Many have tried to solve the problem of copyright violation, but it’s an issue that remains pervasive. It’s just too easy to claim a design as your own when it’s posted by someone else online, and there are few 3D designers who aren’t at risk, whether they’re manufacturers sending a file to a customer or designers posting their work on an online marketplace or file-sharing platform.

Treatstock, which acts as a 3D printing service provider finder as well as a 3D model marketplace, has plenty of reason to be invested in the prevention of 3D model theft. Thus, the company developed Watermark 3D, a patent pending solution that allows designers to safeguard their work against copyright violation by embedding hidden information into STL files. The free software application enables the user to embed information into their 3D models, protected by a password. No visual or structural changes are present on the 3D printed object itself; the only way the watermark can be detected is to upload the STL file to the Watermark 3D website and enter the password. If the password is correct, the watermark is detected and the concealed information inside the file can reveal the owner of the IP and its origins without anyone else, particularly potential thieves, being aware.

Treatstock is also developing a system that will track and notify a watermark’s author when their file appears on any website. Watermark 3D is a helpful tool for those who want to protect their 3D models before giving access to someone else. If a designer shares or distributes a file through multiple different platforms, they can use a different watermark for each customer or marketplace to which they send the file. If they then discover that the file is being distributed illegally, they can use the unique watermark to trace the source of the illegal distribution.

Treatstock is using Watermark 3D to automatically place watermarks on files sent to different manufacturers on the site, so if the files are distributed illegally, Treatstock knows which manufacturer is the culprit. The company is in talks with other large 3D file-sharing platforms about integrated Watermark 3D into their systems, and encourages all interested platforms to get in touch. Currently, Watermark 3D only works with STL files, but Treatstock is working to incorporate it into other types of files as well.

“Without a doubt, Watermark 3D is a big step towards compliance with copyright in the world of 3D designing and can help authors to protect their IP from malicious users,” says Treatstock. “However, the key to success lies in the cooperation with other market players and to achieve consistency across the board, as well as the further development and improvement of tools such as Watermark 3D available to owners of intellectual property.”

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below. 

 



Share this Article


Recent News

Analysis: TRUMPF Sells Additive Manufacturing Business to LEO III Fund

New Frontier Aerospace Wields Mjölnir, a 3D Printed Engine for Hypersonic Flight



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

Metal Powder Supplier Elementum 3D Added to $46B Air Force Contract

Elementum 3D, a Colorado-based developer and supplier of metal powders used in additive manufacturing (AM), announced that the company has been added to the vendors list in the fourth on-ramp...

Ursa Major Lands $28.6M AFRL Deal for 3D Printed Draper Engine Flight Demo

The US Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL’s) Rocket Propulsion Division at Edwards Air Force Base has awarded a $28.6 million contract to Ursa Major for follow-on work related to the...

3D Printing Financials: Rocket Lab’s Record-Breaking Year and Over 20 Launches Coming in 2025

Rocket Lab (Nasdaq: RKLB) closed 2024 with its best year yet. The company launched more rockets, signed more contracts, and expanded deeper into spacecraft and satellite production than ever before....

US Air Force Taps Beehive to Study 3D Printed Jet Engines

Propulsion 3D printing firm Beehive Industries secured a contract from the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center through SOSSEC. SOSSEC is a company that manages Other Transactions Authority (OTA)...