The outcome is beginning to appear in the patent infringement case Stratasys brought against personal 3D printer marketer Afinia.

According to a detailed analysis in Makezine by 3D print intellectual property expert Michael Weinberg, one of four claims by Stratasys against Afinia were dropped. The claim related to the process of providing infill when 3D printing, which Stratasys patented some years ago. Afinia appears to have successfully argued against this claim, which they say is invalid due to the existence of prior art. What’s fascinating is that the prior art specified by Afinia seems to be from Stratasys itself.

The case involved three other patent infringement claims, specifically for heat control during printing, extruder design features and a method of hiding layer seams. These claims are still under discussion and may eventually make it to the trial, tentatively scheduled for 2015, unless similar pre-trial determinations are made.

Source: Fabbaloo