i.materialise does not support 3D printing high security keys

At the Def Con hackers conference this past weekend MIT students David Lawrence and Eric Van Albert presented their software tool to allow people to 3D print high security keys. We were disappointed to see that our services were used by the students to make an unauthorized copy of a Schlage Primus key in titanium.  i.materialise rejects any use of its services to promote activities or to create products which pose a safety or security risk to others. Had the intentions of David Lawrence and Eric Van Albert been known to i.materialise, the key would not have been printed.

Further, i.materialise’s policy is to not print any design that infringes a third party’s intellectual property rights. While we screen the content of uploaded designs and reject any designs known to violate third party rights, i.materialise, as an automated internet-based service provider, cannot control all content. Thus, when using i.materialise’s services, our customers confirm that their designs are original and do not violate another designer’s or inventor’s rights. In this case, David Lawrence and Eric Van Albert gave no indication that their key design was in fact an unauthorized copy of a Schlage Primus key.

i.materialise works to bring high quality 3D printed products to any designer or inventor, and we view respect for third party’s rights as a key component of this community. And with the help of our customers, we can continue to achieve these goals.

3D printing at i.materialise is about enabling personal expression in a world of standardization. We offer any person with a head full of original ideas the ability to turn those ideas into 3D reality, while at the same time respecting the rights of others. i.materialise believes that protecting the rights of all inventors and designers is a responsibility and thus, we were disappointed to learn that i.materialise’s services were not used in a correct way.

Thanks for understanding.