By Kelsey Wilbanks ( August 2, 2018, 2:26 PM EDT) -- The reach of permissible file sharing for do-it-yourself plastic guns in the age of 3D printing just took an unexpected turn. After five years of litigation, on June 29, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Texas-based gun access group Defense Distributed reached a settlement approving "for public release (i.e., unlimited distribution) in any form" computer-aided design (CAD) files containing the digital blueprints for 3D printed firearms.[1] The settlement, also approved by the U.S. Department of State, temporarily exempted the gun files from the export licensing requirements of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations because the files satisfy the exemptions for technical data restrictions.[2] The settlement gave Defense Distributed a license to legally publish and share its 3D printable gun files on the internet starting on Aug. 1, 2018....