Crowd-funding website Kickstarter is being sued for its promotion of a new 3D printer.
More than 2,000 users contributed over $2.9m (£1.8m) to help Massachusetts-based Formlabs build the device.
However, 3D Systems - a leading maker of printers that turn computer design files into real-world objects - has alleged one of its patents was being infringed by the machine.
It has also filed a lawsuit against Formlabs itself.
Many are held by 3D Systems (example: Zcorp has a patent on full color printing via inkjet), some by other organizations. UT Austin has the patent for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) which is a nylon-based high-resolution 3d print. MIT has the patent for ceramic 3d printing.
Entirely anecdotal, but I was told that there are some commercial patents regarding air circulation (keeping a stable chamber is absolutely necessary for high-resolution) that are blocking some of the open projects as well.
