Honda 3d printer
Honda Orders Big Takedown of Honda-Related 3D Printing Models From Maker Communities
3D printing has been one of the greatest introductions to the automotive DIY scene in years. I've written about it before, and it's amazing to watch problems get solved with unique solutions from imaginative minds across the globe. What's more, it's great to see car companies embrace the maker community, even supplying the plans to help build and share custom parts.
Unfortunately, not all automakers share that same sentiment.
via PrintablesRecently, I noticed a part that I made for my Honda Accord was removed from Printables, the newly rebranded 3D printing repository offered by Prusa. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for it, but I didn't think anything else about it...until reports of a mass deletion started popping up on Reddit.
All models referencing the word "Honda" posted prior to March 30, 2022, were seemingly removed from Printables without warning. These included speaker brackets, key housings, hood latches, shifter bushings, washer fluid caps, roof latch handles, and my trunk lid handle—a part not offered on 10th generation Accords sold in the U. S. at all. In fact, many of the removed parts had no Honda branding but were just compatible with Honda vehicles. As it turns out, Prusa says it was issued a takedown notice from Honda and removed all 3D models that referenced the brand.
"I can confirm to you that we have received a letter from a lawyer representing Honda, informing us that we were required to remove any model which used 'Honda' in the listing, the model itself, or one of several trademarks/logos also associated with Honda," a Prusa spokesperson told The Drive in an email. "This will also be related to the naming of the files it self (sic), as for Honda this would be considered as a violation of their trademark/patents."
A Prusa employee responded to a post on the company's forums, noting that Honda sent a "huge legal document" that covered every model that the company wished to have deleted. The document reportedly included items that did not have Honda logos, but also specific items with certain shapes and dimensions—like a washer fluid reservoir cap, for example.
A response from another employee was posted suggesting other sites that host 3D models were also sent a similar takedown notice. These files still remain up on Thingiverse, Thangs, and other repositories at the time of publishing, however.
Honda Motors North America informed me the order was issued by Honda Motors Europe, though the latter did not respond when repeatedly asked for comment on the matter. Prusa also declined to provide The Drive with a copy of the document to review.
The trunk handle pull I designed for my Honda Accord.While it's true that Honda must protect its trademarks and intellectual property, this particular scenario crosses into a legal conundrum. If a part doesn't feature a Honda logo on it and simply states that it's compatible with a particular vehicle, does that give Honda the right to enforce a potential trademark or copyright violation? Sort of.
A lot of it comes down to wording. Some files that were taken down were named something along the lines of "Honda Civic Cup Holder," whereas others were titled similar to the likeness of "Cup Holder for Honda Civic. " The order of that wording matters and could be the reason Honda responded in the way it did, and it's why Prusa obliged by taking down all items that referenced the Honda brand.
"From a trademark law perspective, there definitely can be a difference," said Maya Eckstein, a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth that specializes in the law surrounding additive manufacturing, in an email to The Drive. "Every situation is fact-specific, but, generally speaking, the former suggests that the cup holder was manufactured by Honda or is endorsed by Honda (i.e. that Honda is the “source” of the item being sold), risking a likelihood of confusion and, thus, a trademark violation. The latter doesn’t necessarily do that; it falls into the category of nominative fair use, where you are merely describing the thing being sold but not implying sponsorship or endorsement by the brand."
Eckstein does have a word of advice for makers who want to continue producing these types of files and distributing them to the community: "When referring to a brand in this way, it’s important to refer to it simply; using the brand’s distinctive logos, lettering, coloring, etc. , could lead to a likelihood of confusion about whether the brand is the source of the product."
Some items have been re-uploaded after the March 30th purge | via Printables"We are working with other companies to make them realize this should be embraced and not hunted down," said Josef Prusa, CEO of Prusa Research in a Reddit thread.
At the end of the day, Honda's decision to protect its property is warranted; however, Prusa's statement that the automaker issued a takedown of "any model which used 'Honda' in the listing" feels overly broad and perhaps an overreach of fair use. It also feels like a setback for the maker community as a whole.
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Honda Has Demanded the Removal of All Brand-Related 3D Printable Files
Published on April 28, 2022 by Madeleine P.
One of the biggest uses of 3D printing has been to create customized parts in the automotive world. Creative minds around the world are solving problems or customizing their cars with the help of additive manufacturing. And many of the automotive companies support this community of makers, in fact there are several that provide drawings and files to help build and share these custom parts. A recent example of this was Ford, which released a large number of files to 3D print accessories for the Maverick model. However, not all automakers share the same sentiment.
Recently, automaker Honda asked 3D printer manufacturer Prusa to remove all files with the brand name from its “Printables” platform. A Prusa spokesperson explained to The Drive, “I can confirm that we have received a letter from a lawyer representing Honda, informing us that we were required to remove any model which used ‘Honda’ in the listing, the model itself, or one of several trademarks/logos also associated with Honda. This will also be related to the naming of the files it self (sic), as for Honda this would be considered as a violation of their trademark/patents”
Example file for 3D printing a part by Thingiverse (Image credits: Thingiverse).
In the past, the additive manufacturing community has made available numerous open source designs and files for fixtures and other parts from well-known brands. For example, global electronics firm Panasonic has made more than 75,000 free CAD files available to customers for its electronic components. So has automaker Ford, which released CAD files for customers to print their own Maverick pickup truck accessories.
Honda Models on Printables
Last week, manufacturers began reporting on Reddit that their Honda-related 3D models had been removed from Printables without warning. Those files included windshield washer fluid caps, key covers and more. Many of these parts did not have Honda branding explicitly written on them but were compatible with Honda vehicles.
According to Prusa, the mass deletion is the result of the notice issued by Honda, as they do not want to get into a legal fight with the automaker, and given the tight timeframe they had to respond to the letter, they complied with the request. The 3D files affected by this mass deletion were not only those containing Honda logos, but also specific elements with certain shapes and dimensions that the company perceived as an infringement of its trademarks.
What is interesting about the decision is that according to the reddit posts some of these files were spare parts created by the community. It is well known that after a certain period, many automotive manufacturers choose to discontinue parts for vehicles, ostensibly due to lack of demand and high costs related to making these parts. However, 3D printing has often been put forth as a solution to this issue. In this case, it seems the manufacturer would prefer that any parts for Honda come specifically from the company. Though, the carmaker has remained tight lipped on the decision.
Despite the files removed from Printables, we can still find Honda-related 3D files on Thingiverse and Thangs. What do you think of the decision made by Honda and intellectual property within the industry? What do you think of this microfluidic bioprinting method? Let us know in a comment below or on our Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.
*Photo Credits: Sourav Mishra
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