How do you copyright or license 3D printed materials? This is a somewhat complicated issue, and the law is much different than you would find with traditional copyright considerations. For a 3D printed item, its functional elements cannot be copyrighted, but its decorative elements can be. But the functional elements can be “bundled” within the decorative elements for some aspect of protection. If you are now more confused than when you started reading this, click here to access Michael Weinberg’s informative article, “3 Steps for Licensing Your 3D Printed Stuff.”