3D Systems is a closed-source company, relying on in-house innovation for product development and improvement, and a protective shield of patents to advantage its technologies over competitors'.
In November 2012, 3D Systems filed a lawsuit against prosumer 3D printer company Formlabs and the Kickstarter crowdfunding website over Formlabs attempt to fund a printer which it claimed infringed its patent on "Simultaneous multiple layer curing in stereolithography."[REF] .