BIOMASS HUB

Jeff Lindsay writing on his blog, Sharp Innovation, offers an insider’s perspective on the emerging landscape of biofuels IP.

What many people have overlooked in their enthusiasm for biofuels and biorefineries is the complex nature of the patent estate. The IP landscape is complicated by a wide variety of patent classifications that are used to index the various technologies. In gasification of biomass, for example, the patents for some key commercial technologies may be grouped with cremation devices, or may be listed in categories pertaining to stoves and ovens, methods of reclaiming waste, or chemical processing. Numerous classification codes must be considered. There is also a complex mix of universities, research labs, start-ups, lone inventors, and large companies pursuing relevant technologies, making it difficult to aggregate the key players for a meaningful review of their IP estates. But in spite of all the complexity, there is a great need for improved reviews of the IP landscape to capture trends, whitespaces, and red flags for current and planned operations.

More on his assessment of biofuel IP landscape.

Also, check out Biomass Intel’s analysis of balancing IP protection and partnerships in advanced biofuels.