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Free Patents for the Environment
Free Patents? That’s the idea behind an effort to foster the promulgation of eco-friendly technology and spur innovation in the environmental sustainability arena. The “Eco-Patent Commons” initiative, a project of the World Council for Sustainable Development, goes online today, already boasting thirty-one publicly-available patents from electronics giants like IBM, Sony, Nokia, and Pitney Bowes. The project allows any company to voluntarily donate intellectual property they deem helpful to the environment; thus far the bulk of the patents have come from IBM.
Most of the patents are expected to benefit energy conservation, pollution prevention, and recycling programs. For example, one IBM patent provides a design for a shock absorbing tray that could replace styrofoam peanuts for packaging. The Commons also hopes to encourage collaboration between companies and benefit enterprises that can cut costs with these patents.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development is an association of about 200 companies and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
This project arrives just as the U.S. Congress reconvenes. This year, the Senate will take up consideration of the Patent Reform Act of 2007. The bill has created a rift between information technology and biomedical firms who claim that the bill’s provisions could favor one industry at the expense of the other. The bill aims to overhaul the patent system and bring it in line with the patent laws of many other countries.
Comments on this article
I have An Idea of Turning Cell Phones into Solar Cell Phones, Making cell phones more accesable for anytime use allowing the user to never run out of Battery Life. I Don,t Know the process or how to make this happen but I have case noted this and also recorded the Date and Time On this E-Mail as of 9-23-2008 @ 4:27 Pm, Sandiego, California Time. Thanks for all your help in this. God Bless… Joseph A. Binion FCV-Inst.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:27 pmAlso on that note menthioned earlier, recycleing Cell phone batteries and make solar cells out of them etc.. Thanks so much. Joseph A. Binion-FCV-Inst.
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:30 pmhttp://www.openpatents.net is a sharing ideas to help mankind. one of the section of the free patents that people send is environment, already there are ideas for making electricity out of clouds, water saving, and there are more ideas that I will add, you can add your own or take freely some ideas!!!
January 1st, 2009 at 1:38 pmHello,
I am wondering if you are aware of other organizations that promote patents to be filed solely to maintain free and open use of an invention (thereby preventing others from filing and making access expensive) for inventions that do not relate to the environment.
My situation is that I have made a scientific discovery that is significant enough that I believe if I do not file a patent within a year of its publication, others will. That will make use of this knowledge (of relevance to public health) expensive. I believe that this discovery should be free to all, but it is unlikely that I will be able to afford the cost of the patent application process.
Can you advise? Thanks in advance.
Can you advise
March 12th, 2009 at 9:04 pm