As a company that does quite a bit of research and development, EWI deals with our fair share of patents. This is typically an arduous process that takes years from start to finish. This week I was talking with one of our clients and he mentioned that he was applying for a patent on a ‘green technology.’ In jest, I told him I would talk to him in a few years when his patent actually gets awarded. Then he told me about a pilot program that the US Patent Office has been running since December 2009. Under this program, patents having to do with environmental technologies are given expedited status to move them more quickly into commercial reality. The idea is to make it easier to get green technology into commercial production. In May, Bloomberg reported that the Patent Office is expanding the program to make it easier for inventors to be accepted into the program. This is a great program that should help companies in the advanced energy field get up and running with new technology – faster. Hopefully this leads to exciting new products that we can use…..soon.
Posted by: Mark Norfolk
Photo Courtesy of Pixomar