Welcome to Learned, a short, weekly look at language, education, and everything else under the sun. I’m Joel, linguist and professional slacker. This week, we're getting mini.
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In 2005 a small online portal where creative people could sell their crafts opened its virtual doors. Fifteen years later Etsy is still going strong. Want handmade soap or a crafted monitor stand? Etsy is the place to go. Need an enamel pin or leather handbag? Etsy. An interesting print for your dorm or your kitchen? You get the point. Over the years, Etsy has expanded the market for hand crafted goods as well as just what the definition crafted goods could be. In particular, Etsy bridged the physical and virtual worlds by allowing users to offer digital files alongside their other wares. Buying certain goods off Etsy these days means buying a .pdf or a .jpg or even a .svg file.
Like a lot of geeks my age, I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. Of all its promised future-tech, none caught my eye or my imagination quite like the replicators. In the Star Trek future, all you have to do is speak to your computer: "Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." A few seconds later, thanks to replicator technology, you and Captain Picard can enjoy a hot cup of tea without the bother of having to actually heat water and brew tea. Or even wash a cup for that matter. But one thing Star Trek never got into was, where did that pattern come from? Did Captain Picard have to go to the 24th century equivalent of Etsy and buy the digital downloads for Earl Grey tea and the ceramic mug to carry it in?
The 3D file market is an interesting place. And it's not just Etsy; there are several online marketplaces filling the increasing gap between those with 3D printers and those who know how to build 3D objects for printing. Some of these, like Thingiverse and Shapeways, function like Etsy and other online marketplaces - they allow users to upload and sell designs. Others though, that's where things start to get really interesting, especially for anyone into table-top role-playing, figure and toy collecting, or those who are just into geeky ephemera.
Take, for example, Hero Forge. The company allows users to use an online tool to create a custom mini-figure, for use in games like Dungeons & Dragons, which the company will then print and ship to you. Similarly named Toy Forge offers a similar service, only their focus is on action figures rather than miniatures. What these two companies have in common, beyond naming conventions, is that they are selling their original intellectual properties. They may be inspired by others' games or toys, but all the art and design work is their own.
Contrast that with companies like Figure Prints. World of Warcraft is a long-running, popular online role-playing game. One of its chief selling points is its ability to let a player create a character that evolves and changes over time. Figure Prints works closely with Blizzard Entertainment, the owner of World of Warcraft, to make 3D models and prints of players' characters in a variety of poses and armor sets. And so, even though Figure Prints does not own the IP, they are sanctioned and licensed by the owner.
So what's the issue? There's a grey area that lies somewhere between original and licensed intellectual property. Right now, there's an very detailed, incredibly well-designed file available for sale on Etsy. It's an iconic image from the Spider-man comics: Spider-man is hanging upside down from a lamppost and Mary Jane is standing in front of him, pulling his mask down just enough to kiss him. Did the file creator get permission from Marvel Comics? If they did not copy the comic panel exactly, did they need to? If I buy a copy and print it, am I breaking copyright? (Note: I don't have a 3D printer. Yet.)
I don't know the answers to these questions, and I'd bet that there are not a lot of people who do. Yet I think it will become the next major battleground in the copyright wars (for the record, the fact that neither Winnie the Pooh nor Mickey Mouse are in the public domain as well as the fact that your Amazon Kindle ebooks can't be read on non-Amazon devices are exhibits A and B that we are in a copyright war with the major corporations and that we are losing). 3D printing is still a nascent technology. But so was the home laser printer just a few short decades ago. In the next few years, the key axis of print-quality, cost of materials, and scale of materials will converge at a tipping point that will put a 3D printer on everyone's desk. It's going to be an interesting time for the culture. And, I suspect, that if you want something like a Spider-man 3D print file, you'd better buy it soon.
That's all for this week. Stay safe, stay curious. Learn something.
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Joel