Katy Perry's 'Left Shark' spurs 3D printing copyright battle
"Left Shark," a backup dancer at this year's Super Bowl, has become a popular project for 3D printing enthusiasts. But pop star Katy Perry's lawyers have sent notices to cease and desist, citing copyright claim. We look at intellectual property in the age of 3D printers...
By the time the show was over, the internet had spoken... and a meme was born.
An American designer named Fernando Sosa was among those watching the Left Shark phenomenon unfold -- and he decided to try to capitalize on the situation. He sculpted a Left Shark model using a 3D printer, and shared the design with others online.
Soon after, Mr. Sosa was contacted by Katy Perry's lawyers, who said that he was committing a copyright violation.
Online, whole networks of people share these kinds of blueprints for anything and everything under the sun, often bypassing the people and companies who own the rights. Some who work in the field are starting to see similarities between the challenge presented today by 3D printers and the rise of music file sharing sites such as Napster in the 1990s.
To talk about intellectual property in an age of 3D printing, we heard from two guests:
- Mark Owen is a Partner specializing in IP and Information law with Taylor Wessing in the UK.
- Robert MacDonald is Partner and Trade Mark Agent at Gowlings law firm.
Where do you side on the intellectual property debate?
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This segment was produced by The Current's Gord Westmacott and Pacinthe Mattar.
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