(José Niño, Headline USA) It started in September 2024 as a copyright dispute between two leaders in the 3D-printable firearms industry.
Since then, the case between Defense Distributed CEO Cody Wilson and 3D firearms designer Matthew Larosiere has become increasingly contentious—replete with allegations of illegal international gun trafficking, a death threat, and even a connection to the recent assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. And according to Wilson, the case could also have wide-ranging implications for open-source 3D printing, as well as with U.S. regulations on exporting firearms.
“This is no run-of-the-mill Copyright Act dispute,” says Wilson, who spoke to Headline USA for this story.
Larosiere, who also spoke to this publication, first sued Wilson, Defense Distributed, and another entity called “Defcad” last September, alleging that they infringed on his copyrights.
Larosiere accused Wilson of stealing his copyrighted gun designs, and selling them without permission. Wilson allegedly sold the designs behind a paywall on Defcad.com, as well as through Defense Distributed’s commerce site, ghostguns.com, which mails customers USB drives with 3D gun designs. Larosiere said in his lawsuit that his 3D-printable firearms designs include the Plastikov V4, BUBAR, SF5, KF5, MPP99, and others.
At first, Larosiere’s lawsuit was a straight-forward copyright action. When Headline USA reached out to Larosiere, he stressed that he had worked in the gun industry for many years and had “never given anyone the right to sell my models.”
Wilson, for his part, contests Larosiere’s copyright claims on “fair use” grounds. Additionally, according to Wilson, digital files of functional objects, including firearms, are not subject to copyright protection in the first place.
But on a deeper level, Larosiere’s copyright claims aren’t valid because they “arise from illegal conduct,” and are therefore unenforceable, Wilson argues.
And that’s where the dispute becomes sensational. In a counterclaim filed against Larosiere and several other entities, Wilson accuses them of running a “full-fledged criminal racketeering enterprise”—which, if true, would render his copyright claims obsolete.
From Copyright to Criminal Conspiracy?
According to Wilson, Larosiere runs yet another file-sharing site called The Gatalog, which offers 3D firearms designs without any restrictions—unlike Defcad, which is paywalled; and Defense Distributed, which sells physical USB drives to customers. The fact that The Gatalog offers 3D firearm designs online without any restrictions is what violates arms trafficking restriction, Wilson argues. And because The Gatalog’s business is illegal, Larosiere’s copyright claims are therefore invalid, according to Wilson.
Wilson explained to Headline USA: “Although Americans have the right, in theory, to exchange 3D gun files with each other, I can hand you a USB drive, for example, the direct publication of technical data to the Internet, unrestricted, still violates federal law. Weaponizing copyright doesn’t change that.”
According to Wilson, The Gatalog’s unrestricted platform has led to illegal file transfers to foreign developers in places such as Brazil and Myanmar.
“The Gatalog has been devoted to the repeated illegal transmission of defense-related technical data to agents of the armed wing of the National Unity Government of Myanmar, better known as The People’s Defence Force. File transfers or requests to the PDF are openly facilitated in the public and private chat rooms administered by The Gatalog ‘for the people in Myanmar fighting for their freedom,’” Wilson said in his Jan. 3 counterclaim.
Wilson also tarred The Gatolog for helping arm alleged left-wing assassin Luigi Mangione, who is accused of gunning down a health insurance executive last December.
“Just days after Defense Distributed filed its original pleading, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer used 3D-printed weaponry (a pistol and suppressor) that The Gatalog provided 3D printing files for in violation of the Commerce Department’s EAR regime (the pistol) and the State Department’s ITAR regime (the suppressor),” the counterclaim stated.
Lawsuit: UnitedHealthcare CEO's killer built gun, silencer from 3D-printing files supplied by Florida 'black-market operator' https://t.co/ad00lTz6H5 via @Florida_Bulldog
— Florida Bulldog (@Florida_Bulldog) January 3, 2025
Additionally, Wilsom claims to have received a death threat from someone affiliated with The Gatalog.
“On November 7, 2024, a Gatalog member, acting as an agent of the enterprise, sent a message to Cody Wilson via his DEFCAD account that contained a direct and explicit threat of physical violence entailing murder. The message stated: ‘Cody, you realize there’s a bounty on your head, right? … Have fun sleeping tonight with this information,’” Wilson said in his counterclaim.
Larosiere has strongly denied Defense Distributed’s counterclaims, including that he runs The Gatalog. He recently told the Florida Bulldog that Defense Distributed’s counterclaim was a “harassment lawsuit” intended to divert attention away from his copyright lawsuit. The attorney also said the assertion that The Gatalog is a criminal organization “is completely unfounded.”
When talking to Headline USA, Larosiere took exception to Wilson’s strategy of elevating the case from copyright disputes to federal racketeering charges, which he described as an “insane” tactic that will be easily dismissed in court. He also said he believes Wilson is using this strategy to effectively get the federal government to impose regulations that favor his businesses, thereby establishing a de facto “monopoly.”
Larosiere further told Headline USA that he disagrees with Wilson’s interpretation of copyright. He suggested that Wilson’s copyright arguments are fundamentally flawed
According to Larosiere, “you cannot use copyright to prevent somebody from doing something physically.” Further, he said his case has “nothing to do with being able to 3D print a gun,” but is instead about the sale of his art — in this case, his gun designs.
“A 3D model or drawing of a useful article is per se, not a useful article, and it’s very obviously entitled to copyright protection,” according to Larosiere.
When it comes to Larosiere’s contention that Wilson’s counterclaims will be easily defeated, it’s not clear whether a judge agrees. On Feb. 12, Larosiere asked the magistrate judge to stop the case’s discovery process until his motions to dismiss Wilson’s claims could be fully litigated.
“If this Court grants [my] motion to dismiss as to all counterclaims, any discovery taken between now and the Court’s ruling will have been unnecessary. Even if only some claims are dismissed, the scope of permissible discovery could well narrow,” Larosiere argued in his Feb. 12 motion.
The judge denied Larosiere’s motion, meaning that he must continue to comply with Wilson’s demands for discovery.
“Taking a “preliminary peek” at [Larosiere’s] motion to dismiss, and without expressing any opinion as to final resolution of the motion, the Court is not convinced that [Larosiere’s] motion to dismiss is ‘truly case dispositive,’” U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman Price ruled on March 6.
“As [Wilson and Defense Distributed] correctly point out, (and as the Moving Parties allude to), neither at [Larosiere’s] nor [Wilson’s] motions to dismiss will dispose of every claim or counterclaim,” Price said.
It’s unclear when Judge Price might rule on the motion to dismiss. The parties are scheduled to have a mediation hearing on May 15. A trial is set for Nov. 2 if they can’t reach a settlement by then.
The case, Larosiere v. Wilson, can be found here.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
