Dear Fabienne, dear Colleagues,

Croatian group, without taking time to discuss the question deeply, proposes to include in the scientific program the questions of possible influence of digital additive technologies, i.e. 3D-printing and similar digital reproduction technologies on the intellectual property as a whole.

As we have all surely noted, the impact that digital networked content had on copyright has been tremendous and we have recently witnessed both Francis Gurry remarking that “copyright will either adapt or perish”, and Nelie Kroess noting copyright is “hated” by people. Our prediction is that the same process will result with similar results once other aspects of our material reality start getting digitized. That process already started and it is only a matter of time before the sport shoes will become printable at a desktop, and the habitable houses get printed directly from digital files. In order to further explain this line of thinking I am attaching a link to the IPKat blog that featured my recently published article on this topic: Abundance of Sources: thoughts on terminology and change in copyright law

I hope this is helpful in some form and that the Programmes Committee will be able to use this submission in some way. I also wish to take advantage of the occasion to belatedly, but heart-fully, in the name of the Croatian Group wish you all the best in 2012.

Best regards,

Mladen Vukmir (President)

AIPPI Croatian National Group