MakerBot Industries has been accused by several people of stealing their ideas. Their patents should not be valid. The patent office is doing a sloppy job. If a person designs stuff and releases the idea to the world, a company like MakerBot Industries should not be allowed to file a patent on it. Many have said this is a strategy to hold back innovation and squash the competition.
Some have gone so far as to refer to MakerBot as TakerBot.
Just google for "MakerBot patent" and you will see a number of hits.