經濟學人｜科技｜3D列印
2017.7.22
3Dprintingandbrands
Model citizens
The spread of 3D printing creates intellectual-property headaches
3D列印的普及帶來了知識產權問題
GROOT, a character from Disney』s ?lm「Guardians of the Galaxy」, is usually mass-produced by the entertainment company as a small, collectable ?gurine and sold by retailers such as Toys 「R」 Us. But just before the release of the second ?lm in the franchise earlier this year, Byambasuren Erdenejargal, a Mongolian enthusiast, noticed that people in a 3D-printing group on Facebook were searching for a computer model of Groot. So Mr Erdenejargal decided to create one. He spent four days perfecting the design and its printability before uploading his creation to Thingiverse, an online 3D-printing community based in New York. His digital model of the arboreal creature has since been downloaded (and probably printed in physical form) over 75,000 times.
GROOT是迪士尼電影《銀河護衛隊》中的角色，其手辦作為小型收藏品，通常由娛樂公司批量生產，並由玩具反斗城（Toys 「R」 Us）等零售商出售。但是，今年早些時候，就在專賣店發布電影第二部的手辦之前，蒙古的手辦愛好者Byambasuren Erdenejargal發現，Facebook上3D列印群組的人正在尋找Groot的電腦模型。因此，Erdenejargal先生決定自己做一個。在花了四天的時間來完善設計及可列印性之後，他將自己的作品上傳到了位於紐約的3D列印社區Thingiverse（註：Thingiverse是全球最大的3D列印內容分享網站，是很多3D列印愛好者的首選網站，它共享所有的3D模型）上。這個小樹苗的數字模型（可能會被物理列印出來）已經被下載超過75000次。
Fans of popular TV programmes and ?lms have long used arts and crafts to express their attachment to ?ctional characters. Etsy, an online marketplace for artisanal products, is full of Harry Potter-inspired golden-snitch charms. But a combination of 3D modelling, scanning and cheap 3D printers allows fans to reproduce items like never before.
長期以來，流行的電視節目和電影的粉絲們通過藝術作品和手工藝品來表達他們對這些虛擬角色的喜愛。Etsy是手工藝品的在線市場，充滿了哈利波特中金色飛賊般的魅力。但是，3D建模、掃描和廉價的3D印表機的組合讓粉絲們再造人物是前所未有的。
At Thingiverse, one of many such sites, people downloaded 6.6m ready-to-3D-print designs in the 30 days to July 11th. Globally, over 424,000 desktop 3D printers costing under $5,000 were purchased in 2016, according to Wohlers, an American consultancy. As the 3D-printing community grows, companies that own well-known brands, such as media ?rms, are having to pay closer attention.
在Thingiverse，眾多此類網站之一，在7月11日之前的30天內，人們下載可用於3D列印的作品足有660萬次。美國諮詢公司Wohlers表示，2016年，全球一共購買了超過424000台5000美元以下的台式3D印表機。隨著3D列印社區的發展，擁有知名品牌的公司，比如傳媒公司，就不得不更加重視這個行業。
Some ?rms are taking a hard line against people copying their products. One option is to send intellectual-property「takedown」 notices requiring people to remove their digital models from the internet. HBO, a subscription-TV ?rm owned by Time Warner, recently sent such a notice to a Thingiverse user who had 3D-printed an Iron Throne iPhone holder, in homage to its series 「Game of Thrones」.
有些公司對人們這種仿造他們產品的行為採取強硬措施。一種選擇是向他們發送知識產權「刪除」通知，要求這些人從互聯網上刪除他們的數字模型。一些人為了紀念「權力的遊戲」系列，列印了鐵王座iPhone支架，他們就收到了來自時代華納旗下的訂閱電視公司HBO的通知。
Disney thinks it has a way to foil computer scanners, which can generate a digital model of an item, by adding re?ective material to its plastic products. But like some other ?rms, it is also experimenting with the technology itself. In 2016 it started selling its own 3D-printed versions of its Star Wars characters through Shapeways, an American online 3D-printing service, which allows goods to be printed on demand when ordered by people without their own 3D printers.
迪士尼認為，通過向其塑料產品中加入反應性材料（鋁箔），在通過掃描儀的時候可以使計算機產生物品的數字模型。但是就如同其他一些公司，迪士尼也在實驗這項技術本身。在2016年，它開始通過美國在線3D列印服務Shapeways銷售自己3D列印版本的「星球大戰」手辦，這項服務允許那些沒有自己的3D印表機人們下單按需列印商品。
Other companies are using 3D-printing providers to create merchandise for them, too. Universal Studios, owned by Comcast, a media conglomerate, is working with Sculpteo, a French 3D-printing service. Clément Moreau, Sculpteo』s chief executive, worked with the studio to create accustomisable 3D-printed version of the DeLorean time-travel car for the 30th anniversary of its1985 ?lm 「Back to the Future」. Although Sculpteo is responsible for printing the cars, being able to customise its design gives fans greater control.
讓3D列印提供商來干製造產品的苦力活的還有其他的一些公司。比如，傳媒巨頭康卡斯特公司旗下環球影城正在與法國3D列印服務Sculpteo合作。Sculpteo的首席執行官Clément Moreau與工作室合作，為其1985年出品的電影《回到未來》創造了可定製的3D列印版DeLorean時光旅行車紀念品。雖然Sculpteo只負責列印汽車，但是這也讓粉絲們可以更多地控制這款定製的設計。
Skoda, a Czech carmaker owned by Volkswagen, is also working with Sculpteo to o?er its customers small, personalized models of their own vehicles. Indeed, although only a ?fth of Sculpteo』s total orders come from individuals wanting 3D-printing services, about half of the items it makes end up in the hands of consumers. That shows companies are using 3D printing as a manufacturing process and not just as a way to make prototypes.
斯柯達（Scoda），大眾旗下的捷克汽車製造商也在於Sculpteo合作，為客戶提供小型個性化車型。事實上，雖然Sculpteo的總訂單中只有五分之一來自需要個人3D列印服務，但（其訂單中）大約有一半的列印商品最終到達消費者手中。這表明， 3D列印正在成為公司的製造方法，而非僅僅用來製作原型。
Some brands are interacting more directly with modellers.A ?rm called MyMiniFactory, which is based in London, works on behalf of brands to source high-quality 3D digital models from individuals for corporate websites. This avoids valuable IP being displayed next to crummy models that may well fall apart when printed. Agustin Flowalistik, a Spanish 3D modeller, has collaborated with Capcom,a Japanese video-game ?rm, through MyMiniFactory. One of his most notable fan creations, however, is a series of nine geometric models of Pokémon created for last year』s 20th anniversary of the franchise, which is co-owned by Nintendo, another Japanese ?rm. Uploaded to Thingiverse, his models have now been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times in total.
一些品牌則更直接地與模型商溝通。MyMiniFactory，位於倫敦，他們從事於為企業網站向個人尋求高質量的3D數字模型。這樣可以避免在列印可能分崩離析的劣質模型的時候被人看到有價值的IP。（泄露公司機密，比如未來可能的產品）。西班牙3D模型商Agustin Flowalistik就通過MyMiniFactory與日本遊戲公司Capcom達成合作。他最著名的粉絲作品之一是一系列9個20周年紀念的神奇寶貝數學模型，現在與任天堂，日本另一家企業共同擁有專營權。上傳到Thingiverse之後，他的模型已經總計獲得了數十萬次的下載量。
TAG:英觀天下 |