MIT technology review: "Nathan Myhrvold's Cunning Plan to Prevent 3-D Printer Piracy"
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/429566/nathan-myhrvolds-cunning-plan-to-prevent-3-d/
"“You load a file into your printer, then your printer checks to make sure it has the rights to make the object, to make it out of what material, how many times, and so on,” says Michael Weinberg, a staff lawyer at the nonprofit Public Knowledge, who reviewed the patent at the request of Technology Review. “It’s a very broad patent.”The patent isn’t limited to 3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing. It also covers using digital files in extrusion, ejection, stamping, die casting, printing, painting, and tattooing and with materials that include “skin, textiles, edible substances, paper, and silicon printing.”"
The bad news -- this isn't limited to 3D printers, which while not too far off in the future, are not common in the average home today. Printing on "textiles, edible substances, paper" is common, while silicon printing could be somewhat soon [Canon's long made fabric sheets for printing, & you may have seen cakes/cookies with photo-type images/pictures]. It's also possible to print electronic circuits, & they're working with printing DNA. Given the history of cell phone & other tech patent wars, I can imagine someone someday trying to (C) the basic image of a daisy, & what happens when you find someone else already owns part of your DNA.
The [maybe] good news -- printer manufacturers would need a reason to implement it. The closest example I'm aware of is with some of Sony's HD video hardware, where an inaudible signal is buried in the audio -- copy or convert that audio & Sony hardware won't play it -- try to record it & Sony hardware won't [Cinavia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinavia ]. *So far* Sony's the only company using it -- like Sony's competitors, hopefully printer makers will avoid DRM because it adds cost & could lose sales. I say "Maybe" good news because this sort of DRM could well be included in some future versions of SOPA or ACTA, & then printer makers wouldn't have much choice.