3D scanning services and intellectual property
work with a 3d scanning company you can trust.
Intellectual property – It is a concern of many of our
customers; protecting it, who owns the results. What is intellectual property?
According to the dictionary, it is “a work or invention that is the result of
creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for
which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.”.
By its nature, 3D scanning services often involve working on
projects that are under wraps, held closely to the vest of the inventor, owner,
creator, artist etc. Many times projects are still in the idea state, and naturally
customers are concerned that other people will steal their idea and run with
it. In order to reassure these customers we typically will sign an NDA, or
Non-Disclosure Agreement. When
performing 3D scanning services, the customer information will need to be seen
by members of our team in order to complete the work. That is why it is
important to work with a company with a long history of and a trustworthy team.
As one can tell from reading our Google reviews, customers are happy with the
3d scanning services that they have received. If we were in the habit of
breaching our customers’ trust, we would not have gotten very far in this
industry.
Often, 3D scanning service customers are unclear on who owns
the data. This is for good reason. Clearly, a 3d scanning service customer
wouldn’t want their data to be given to anyone else. But from the perspective
of the 3d scanning company, working with point cloud data that is owned by
someone else is equally problematic. Similar to how a photographer owns the
photos, but grants license to use the photos to customers, a 3D scanning
company must maintain ownership of the 3D point cloud data while it is being
processed. However, the 3d scanning company agrees to provide the data to no
one other than the customer. There may also be an agreement not to use imagery
for marketing purposes, and to destroy the data after a certain period. But
this only applies to the raw point cloud data, which closely parallels the
nature of a photograph. When it comes to intellectual property of the customer
such as project plans, building designs and product designs, these are often
provided at the start when 3D scanning services are rendered. It is important
that the 3D scanning service company take great care in protecting their
confidentiality.
Another issue can arise when performing 3D scanning services
on parts. What happens when a customer wants to scan a competitor’s part that
is someone else’s design? The scan is a “digital twin” of that part; does it
fall under the intellectual property of the designer? While this one may be a
gray area, it is generally understood that it is not a violation of
intellectual property to merely reproduce the part in digital form. What would
be a problem is when someone starts to reproduce the part and sell it for
money. This damages the original designer/owner of the part if it is protected
by patent.
We understand what is at stake when you trust us with your
confidential information, and take the data security of our customers very
seriously when performing 3D scanning services.