Voxeldance, an “all-in-one Additive Manufacturing software solution provider,” is at the center of several accusations by industry sources of intellectual property theft. These allegations remain unproven and are under investigation. Voxeldance products are Voxeldance Additive aimed at industrial users, such as aerospace and defense, plus Voxeldance Tango, a slicing tool for resin 3D printers used by hobbyists and others.
All allegations mentioned in this article are unproven and remain under investigation. No legal conclusions have been reached.
The Chinese software company received a visit from the German Federal Customs Service, abbreviated to Zoll, during the formnext trade show.
Valerie Chianuri, General Counsel, nTop confirmed to 3D Printing Industry that “nTop is pursuing legal action against VoxelDance as it relates to its activities at Formnext and beyond.” As the case is still in progress Chianuri stated nTop cannot “comment on any of the specifics around this, what I can say is that we remain focused on delivering the best computational design software with our innovative new technology as the key enabler. Thus, we take our Intellectual Property (IP) very seriously.”
The German Customs Service, known as the Bundeszollverwaltung, plays a pivotal role in enforcing intellectual property rights within Germany. A key component of this service is the Zollkriminalamt (ZKA), or Customs Investigation Bureau, which investigates and prevents serious customs-related crimes, including those involving intellectual property violations. Interestingly, Formnext show organizers also have a dedicated, permanent police station within the exhibition grounds, something that is relatively uncommon among trade show organizers.
Christoph Stüker, Vice President at show organizers Mesago Messe Frankfurt told 3D Printing Industry, “We are committed to providing a platform where innovation and integrity are at the forefront of the additive manufacturing industry. We take allegations of intellectual property infringement very seriously and work closely with authorities to ensure that all exhibitors adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct.”
Stüker continued, “The incident involving one of our exhibitors highlights the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and maintaining trust within the industry regardless of their origin. We were cooperating fully with the relevant legal entities and have supported customs and the court of the city of Frankfurt in this specific case.” Reports suggest that authorities acted in connection with a legal matter involving Voxeldance, though the specifics of the case and its outcome remain unclear.
The Mesago Messe Frankfurt VP added, “Our goal is and remains to foster an environment where companies from around the world can showcase their technologies with confidence and respect for each other’s innovations. We appreciate the industry’s understanding and support as we strive to uphold these values at Formnext.”
Regarding the booth, several display monitors were removed to prevent Voxeldance from promoting the product subject to the court order, according to the show organizer.
3D Printing Industry reached out to Voxeldance CEO Chaoxin Zhang for comment on these allegations. As of publication, the company has not provided a response. We will update this article if new information becomes available.
Certain social media posts referenced in this article have since been removed. The article has been updated to reflect this change.
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Featured image shows Voxeldance Additive. Image via Voxeldance.
