Patent Law and 3D Printing Applications in Response to COVID-19

COVID-19 has already caused far-reaching negative impacts not only on health but also on the social and economic well-being of the global population. 3D printing offers promise in relation to much needed health technologies associated with COVID-19. Additive manufacturing, which allows the rapid conversion of information from digital 3D models into physical objects, is uniquely well-positioned to support the shortage of critical medical devices by enabling customization and printing of devices in a timely and cost-effective manner. This resilient technology proved its worth in delivering critical components in a timely fashion under extraordinary time-pressure, despite all odds that negatively impacted conventional supply chains during the pandemic. 3D printing played a key role to scale up the manufacturing of personal protective equipment (like face masks, face shields, and powered air-purifying respirators), medical and testing devices (like ventilator splitters, nasal swabs, and point-of-care testing devices), and useful accessories (like mask adjusters and hands-free door openers) in response to COVID-19