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Tag Archives: Biomass

2010: Investment and Licensing Opportunities May Arise in New Areas – Cleantech Energy Patent Landscape Report

Posted by John M. Lazarus on Posted in Licensing

The 2010 Cleantech Energy Patent Landscape Report Executive Summary recently released by Foley & Lardner LLP highlights key findings from a review of nearly 825 granted U.S. patents specific to clean energy production, efficiency, and conservation technologies within 11 focal categories:

  • Solar
  • Wind
  • Hydro
  • Geothermal
  • Biomass
  • Nuclear
  • Hybrid vehicles
  • Fuel cells for vehicles
  • Utility metering
  • Smart grid technologies
  • CO2 storage or sequestration

To aid industry executives, start-ups, individual inventors, and investors in identifying and leveraging market opportunities in this continually changing landscape, this annual analysis offers insight on regional cleantech activity, the specific technologies for which patent protection is being granted and who is obtaining these patents, focal points for venture capital investments, areas of patentable white space, and potential licensing availability for corporate entities.

For a copy of our full Cleantech Energy Patent Landscape Report, please contact John Lazarus at jlazarus@foley.com.

Biofuel Developments: Government Support Continues; Patent Activity Exploding

Posted by J. Steven Rutt on Posted in Cleantech

Biofuels and biomass technology continue to be hot in the cleantech sector this year.

The Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture continue to promote advanced biofuels and now, in an effort to craft useful policy, they welcome comments from the public. See April 19, 2010 developments wherein the federal government is receiving public comments for three biofuel loan guarantee and payment programs.

Additionally, the patent filings in the area are increasingly substantial. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) patent publication program began in 2001 and with that came a start-up period for all the applications to be published. While the success of patents in this area of technology took several years to gain traction, the past couple years have seen double and even triple increases as reflected in the data below.

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