EPO Confirms Patentability Of Additive Manufacturing G-code

The European Patent Office (EPO) has recently confirmed that it is possible to obtain patent protection for additive manufacturing software instructions (e.g. G-code). This is a boost for innovators who may wish to prevent the unauthorised distribution of additive manufacturing files for their products.

Additive manufacturing is maturing. The global additive manufacturing market size is estimated to reach $76.16 billion by 2030, in part due to the adoption of additive manufacturing in industrial applications. This includes growing adoption of additive manufacturing in the automotive, healthcare, aerospace and defence sectors.

As additive manufacturing becomes more prevalent, there is an increased risk that competitors may attempt to manufacture counterfeit products through additive manufacturing. In addition, competitors or consumers may share software files for use in manufacturing infringing products (e.g. through online marketplaces, such as Thingiverse).