Feb 23, 2017 “The ‘law of 3D printing,’ if such can be said to exist, challenges those existing specialties and divisions, if only by linking the intangible and ever-changing world of “cyberlaw” to our relationship with manufacturing and manufactured objects.”
Martin Galese is General Counsel for Formlabs, a desktop 3D printing company. Formlabs produces high-resolution desktop 3D printers for engineers and designers. Before joining Formlabs, Mr. Galese worked as an IP litigator at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York City and pursued his passion for 3D printing after hours. Mr. Galese’s earlier Patent-Able project, turning expired patents into 3D printable models, has been covered by both the NY Times and Popular Science. Mr. Galese has previously spoken about legal and policy issues involving 3D printing at the Annual Corporate IP Counsel Forum, 3D Printshow New York, 3D/DC and before the Intellectual Property Owners Association, the Boston Bar Association, the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, and the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal.
Q: What is your vision on the intersection of 3D Printing and healthcare?
A: Of all the industries benefiting from the 3D printing revolution, healthcare has the potential to be among the most radically transformed. As the pharmaceutical industry moves steadily towards personalized drug interventions, so too will medical devices become increasingly customized for patients and treatment needs. 3D printing is the enabling technology for that transformation.
Formlabs Class I Biocompatible : Dental SG Resin
Q: What do you specialize in? What is your passion?
A: I see my role as General Counsel for Formlabs as providing the integrated approach and broad view of generalist to a field of increasingly focused and silo-ed field-specific legal experts. The “law of 3D printing,” if such can be said to exist, challenges those existing specialties and divisions, if only by linking the intangible and ever-changing world of “cyberlaw” to our relationship with manufacturing and manufactured objects.
Q: What inspired you to do what you do?
A: As a sci-fi fan, I have dreamed about what a post-scarcity world might look like. And as an IP litigator, I have had the opportunity to see the ways in which legal rules shape R&D today and might shape our technological future. I see 3D printing bringing these threads together, providing innovators, scientists, and doctors with tools today to help bring future technologies to everyone more quickly. The chance to work in this industry, help it grow, and provide such powerful tools to our customers is very fulfilling and inspiring for me.
Q: What challenges do you see arising in implementing 3D printing in healthcare sector in the next 5 years?
A: One of the more significant challenges lies in training healthcare workers, who may be largely unfamiliar with any manufacturing technology, in the appropriate use of 3D printing technology. Without excellent resources and support, medical users of 3D printers may lack the tools and skills to provide the full benefits to their patients.
Comments