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MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis said MakerBot did not ask Stratasys to sue Afinia: he described Stratasys Inc. as the company that owned the patents and filed the case, while MakerBot focused on desktop 3D printers, scanners, and software. His comments offer a contemporaneous view of the 2013 dispute, not a court ruling on whether Afinia infringed.
What did Bre Pettis say about the Stratasys lawsuit against Afinia?
In the Make: interview, Phillip Torrone asked Pettis about Stratasys’s lawsuit and its implications for 3D-printing companies and hobbyists. Pettis drew a distinction between the two companies: MakerBot was a Stratasys subsidiary focused on desktop printers, scanners, and software, while Stratasys Inc. owned the patents, developed the technology, and brought the lawsuit. “We certainly didn’t ask Stratasys to file this lawsuit,” he said.
That is Pettis’s public explanation of MakerBot’s role. It should not be treated as an independent finding about corporate responsibility or the legal merits of the case.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhat did Stratasys allege in the Afinia case?
In a November 25, 2013 announcement, Stratasys Ltd. said its North American subsidiary had sued Afinia, a division of Microboards Technology LLC, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Stratasys said it was seeking injunctive relief and damages, alleging that Afinia’s Series H printer infringed four patents. The asserted subject areas were:
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- Porosity in printed parts.
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These were Stratasys’s allegations, not established findings in the cited announcement. The historical materials cited here do not establish the litigation’s current procedural status or the present enforceability of every patent involved.
Why did Pettis reject the “patent troll” label?
Asked whether Stratasys was using its patents for “patent trolling,” Pettis argued that it was not: in his view, Stratasys made products based on its patents, unlike entities that acquire patents primarily to sue. He also presented patents as one way for companies to recoup research and development costs. Those are Pettis’s arguments, not a neutral legal definition or a judicial conclusion.
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Pettis acknowledged the tension for builders: someone developing a printer feature may believe an idea is new, only to find that another company has already patented it. He was asked whether MakerBot planned to sue individual hobbyists making 3D printers at home; the interview captures his response in that context. The exchange shows the competing concerns he addressed—protecting a company’s claimed investment and the possibility that patent rights can constrain experimentation—without resolving where the legal boundaries lie.
What did Stratasys say about its investment and patents?
In its 2013 announcement, Stratasys said it invested $33.3 million in research and development in 2012, equal to 9.3% of revenue. That is a company-reported figure for 2012, not a current spending measure. Stratasys CEO David Reis said in the same announcement: “IP infringement discourages companies from investing in innovation.” That statement expresses the company’s rationale for bringing the suit.
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The release also described the action as the first patent-infringement action Stratasys had commenced and said the company held more than 500 granted or pending additive-manufacturing patents globally. Both are Stratasys’s claims as of November 2013; neither establishes its current litigation history or patent portfolio.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does MakerBot’s history fit into the dispute?
The Eighth Circuit’s July 25, 2017 opinion recounts that Stratasys acquired MakerBot in August 2013. It also notes that MakerBot introduced its 5G desktop printer line in January 2014 with a replaceable Smart Extruder.
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That opinion addresses a separate shareholder securities-fraud case concerning promotional statements and the 5G rollout. It recounts allegations about Smart Extruder clogging, returns, and declining sales, then affirms dismissal of the shareholder case. It does not decide the Afinia patent dispute, so the two legal proceedings should not be conflated.
Stratasys’s 2020 Form 20-F also records the 2013 MakerBot acquisition and discusses intellectual-property risks generally. It is a historical corporate filing, not proof of the current ownership or legal status of a particular patent.
What can the patent record establish today?
The Google Patents record for US8668859B2, “Automated 3D build processes”, identifies Nathaniel B. Pettis as inventor and MakerBot Industries LLC as the original assignee. It lists Stratasys Inc. as assignee following a recorded 2022 assignment. Google Patents cautions that its legal-status information is not a legal conclusion. The entry is a useful pointer to a record, but it does not by itself establish current ownership, validity, or enforceability; those questions require checking official USPTO records and relevant legal proceedings.
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