System, method and apparatus for three-dimensional digital design content rights management

A three-dimensional printing system comprising:

• at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium;
• a fabricating device;
• at least one controller in communication with the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium and the fabricating device, the at least one controller comprising circuitry configured to:
• receive instructions from at least one server computer, interfacing with the three-dimensional printing system to control fabrication of a three-dimensional object;
• by the fabricating device, fabricate one or more three-dimensional objects based at least partly on a design specification;
• erase at least a portion of the design specifications;
• store an audit database comprising at least a portion of the fabrication data;
• and
• provide at least a portion of the audit database to at least one remote computer,
• wherein on purchase of the three-dimensional object by viewing descriptive information associated with the design specification stored separately on the first server, prompting the first server to send a message to the second server causing the second server to transmit design specifications to the fabricating device, and wherein the message further includes a product ID and a device ID, the device ID identifying a fabricator.

A computer-implemented method for managing rights to design specifications for three-dimensional printers, the method comprising:

• transmitting, to at least one client computer, data configured to display descriptive information associated with one or a plurality of three-dimensional objects and having design specifications stored on a second server and not stored on a first server;
• receiving, from the at least one client computer, a selection of at least one three-dimensional object of the one or a plurality of three-dimensional objects;
• transmitting a request to fabricate on purchase of the at least one three-dimensional object to at least one content providing system, the request configured to cause the at least one content providing system to transmit design specifications for the at least one three-dimensional object to a three-dimensional printer, wherein the three-dimensional printer is remote from the at least one content providing system;
• and
• erasing at least a portion of the design specifications from at least one memory device of the three-dimensional printer,
• wherein on purchase of a design fabrication of a three-dimensional object by viewing descriptive information associated with the design specification stored separately on the first server prompting the first server to send a message to the second server causing the second server to transmit design specifications to the fabricating device, and wherein the message further includes a product ID and a device ID, the device ID identifying a fabricator.