3D printing has been around in one form or another since 1984, when a process was introduced to transfer digital data into tangible objects. While initially utilised in experimental, technical and scientific endeavours, the technology has advanced to a point where “home printing” and desktop scale printers have been introduced to the market. The technology is now readily available to the consumer.

Readers may recall a short article that was published in our Corporate and Commercial newsletter on Cyber Security which drew attention to the steps that can be taken in order to assist in the prevention of cyber-attacks (please click here to read this article). Further to that article, ASIC has recently published a report on cyber resilience which is intended to help regulated organisations improve their ability to prepare and respond to cyber-attacks.

Intellectual property rights include patents, trade marks and copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) grants exclusive rights in the copyright owner, including the right to use, reproduce and publish works. Copyright exists in original works, such as computer programs.

APRA Ltd v Jain (1990) 26 FCR 53

University of NSW v Moorhouse [1975] HCA 26

A US Judge has found that organisations who use images posted on Twitter for commercial purposes will infringe the copyright of the owner of those photographs.

The Washington Post and Agence France – Presse had argued that once the pictures appeared on Twitter they were freely available and that Twitter’s terms of service granted it the right to use the photographs. Accordingly, they have published the photographs without permission from or payment to the professional photographer who took them.