A sad reality of the internet is that if something is put on-line, someone else will copy it and claim it as their own. When that something is a digital file, you can almost guarantee that it will be copied and distributed on torrenting sites within hours of becoming available. And unfortunately for us, that has begun to include the products sold on 3D printable model marketplaces.
The looming specter of pirated STL and OBJ files was never really a significant concern for the 3D printing industry. Partially due to its relatively niche status, but mainly because the industry was built on the tenets of the open source technology movement and maker communities. But the little industry that could went and grew up into a real, honest to god 5 billion dollar industry and is expected to nearly double that in a few years. That sort of money brings with it people who want to make it, and naturally those that don’t want to pay it.
The 3D printable marketplace for sex toys, SexShop3D is one of a growing number of small, upstart 3D printing businesses that are starting to get worried about piracy and illegal trading of their own and their community of designers’ products. One of the steps that they’re taking to secure their designs, and draw in a larger pool of talent was to team up with content streaming service Authentise to secure their products and prevent them from being ripped and illegally circulated.
This is a no judgement zone.
SexShop3D sells 3D models for adult toys and sexual aids, some of them designed in house, but many of their catalog is designed by a growing stable of artists selling their own work. Some of them exactly what you would imagine a sex toy to look like, and some of them, well, catering to a very specific consumer. And not only does working with Authentise simplify the printing process by doing most of the work in the cloud, but it streams the file directly to consumers 3D printers, so the file is safe, secure and can’t be duplicated or pirated.
“We are thrilled to begin this partnership with Authentise. This is the next step in our project to radically change the sex toy industry. Any problem we might encounter is immediately resolved because 3D printing technology is constantly growing and improving. Authentise’s streaming service is the cornerstone to unlocking the full potential for 3D printing and we are proud to be a part of it,” explained SexShop3D founder Thomas Sancelot.
The French sex toy marketplace launched less than a year ago and was one of the first companies to bring 3D printable sex toys to the market. And by allowing designers to sell their own creations without having to worry about their designs being pirated or stolen, they clearly are hoping to become the Shapeways for dildos.
The 3D printing industry isn’t just makers making things for a small hobby community any longer, 3D printing has begun to go mainstream. 3D printing is in the midst of revolutionizing the medical and dental industry, changing the way we design our consumer products, launching rockets into space and allowing artists the freedom to sell products of their own design without a corporation telling them how to do it. Not only does that give designers and small businesses the freedom to create exactly the products that they want, but it allows them to control how they are sold and to whom they are distributed.
One of SexShop3Ds biggest sellers, the 8 inch BBD, the “Big Black Dildo”.
A few years ago if you asked what a 3D printer was the typical answer would be questions about where the paper went. But ask that question now, and you’re more likely to get a serious answer. The endgame for 3D printing was always eliminating the manufacturing step between sellers and consumers, and Authentise is helping businesses like SexShop3D do exactly that.
Are you willing to 3D print products directly from the cloud, or do you feel that you should be able to own the file and print as many copies as you’d liket? Tell us your thoughts over on the Authentise Partners with 3D Sex Toy Marketplace SexShop3D forum at 3DPB.com.
