3D Systems Found Guilty of Stealing Trade Secrets From Intrepid Automation

A jury just awarded Intrepid Automation $11.6 million in a trade secret case against 3D Systems

On August 31, a California jury found 3D Systems guilty of misappropriating trade secrets belonging to Intrepid Automation, a San Diego startup founded by five former 3D Systems employees. The verdict centers on Intrepid's large-format DLP multiprojection Range 3D printer, which was still in development when the secrets were taken.

The jury awarded $5.6 million in compensatory damages and an additional $6 million in exemplary damages after finding the misappropriation was willful and malicious. The case began after Intrepid filed counterclaims against 3D Systems, which had initially sued the startup and its founders before those claims were dismissed on summary judgment.

Jeffrey Catalano, lead trial counsel for Intrepid, said the verdict hinged on testimony from the startup's founders, who described the development of their technology with passion. Intrepid's large-frame DLP system uses multiple projectors to achieve high-speed printing at scale, a capability the jury clearly believed 3D Systems tried to copy without permission.

The award is a rare win for a small additive manufacturing company fighting a giant. 3D Systems is a public company with deep resources, and Intrepid's founders faced a formidable legal battle. The unanimous verdict suggests the evidence of misappropriation was strong enough to overcome the disparity in size and influence between the two companies.

For the broader industry, the ruling sends a clear message about intellectual property. As DLP and other binder jetting technologies become more central to high-volume production, the race to commercialize large-format systems is heating up. Companies that try to shortcut that race by poaching secrets from startups now have a $11.6 million example of what it can cost.