The ruling is another reversal in a long-running legal case over the legality of distributing the computer-aided design (CAD) files online, allowing anybody to manufacture their own unregistered lethal weapon using a 3D printer or milling machine.
Defense Distributed, an organisation which develops CAD files for firearms, was engaged in a legal battle with the US State Department for several years over its distribution of CAD files for the ‘Liberator’: the first fully 3D-printed handgun.
The dispute began in May 2013 after the files were uploaded and the State Department requested that they were removed, arguing that they violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which restricts the export of military equipment. The files were removed after being downloaded more than 100,000 times, although they remained available on the dark net.
Defense Distributed partnered with a pro-gun lobby group to sue the State Department over the forced removal...