The 3-D printing industry is evolving faster than expected, with data revealing that global market value is now forecast to hit $57.1 billion by 2028, surpassing the 2050 projection of $50 billion from
Marks & Clerk’s
2020 3D/IP: Intellectual Property in an Age of 3-D Printing whitepaper. This 22-year leap ahead of schedule reflects a 14.2% increase over earlier long-term growth projections and signals not only growing demand, but also the evolving legal infrastructure enabling its expansion.
The regulatory changes go to the heart of the challenges faced by 3-D printing intellectual property (IP) owners and are likely to accelerate further growth in the industry. New developments in UK-EU trade relations and the European Union’s (EU) sweeping redesign of its IP regime have made the sector more navigable and protected than ever before. This regulatory advancement has continued, with changes on 1 May 2025 coming into force.
The EU revamped its registered design system to explicitly protect non-physical designs such as 3D print files, graphical user interfaces, and animations, giving rights holders the power to block unauthorised copying and sharing of digital design files. In addition, since July 2022, the European Patent Office has allowed patent protection for additive manufacturing (AM) software, closing a key gap in IP coverage.
Significant opportunitiesSusan Bradley, partner at Marks & Clerk, said: “3-D printing is no longer a future-facing technology – it is a commercially viable, IP-secured and regulation-supported industry. This legal turning point, especially in software protection, opens up significant opportunities for businesses operating across the UK and the European Union (EU).”
The updated whitepaper explores how businesses can thrive amid these shifts highlighting advances in material innovation, IP strategy and sustainability. With metal 3-D printing alone growing at 30% annually, unexpected levels of adoption in sectors such as agriculture, and applications ranging from aerospace to furniture made from ocean plastic, innovation is no longer limited by legal grey areas or technical boundaries.
Susan continued: “When it comes to 3-D printing, IP is now keeping pace with innovation. Companies can’t afford to treat legal protections as an afterthought, particularly in high-growth sectors like this. The updated regulatory framework offers practical tools for competitiveness, investor confidence and long-term scalability.”
The whitepaper is available now and offers practical guidance on navigating cross-border IP law, protecting innovations and building resilient businesses in a newly favourable regulatory environment. It can be downloaded
here.