Advanced manufacturing, and in particular additive manufacturing or “3D printing,” involves creating products through layer-by-layer addition and subtraction of materials using 3D printer in accordance with a CAD file containing a design. However, the ubiquity of 3D printing equipment, and differences in manufacturing approaches using 3D printing as compared to traditional manufacturing approaches, creates several intellectual property challenges, such as (a) products created by AM may not be protected by patents drafted with conventional manufacturing techniques in mind, (b) the ability to create AM products using only a 3D printer creates potential for a large number of infringing parties, and (c) 3D printers can be geographically located close to points of sale of products, rendering conventional border detection methods ineffective. These challenges are expected to have a direct impact on automotive companies based in developed economies, which typically focus their business model on only developing and manufacturing products that can be protected through some form of intellectual property protection, such as by patent or design. Recommendations to address these challenges in the automotive sector are provided.