Talk-Polywell.org

US PreGrant publication: 20080187086

I do not see what is unique or novel in this, over and above earlier attempts. It doesn't appear to be strong enough to stand up in that respect if it was challenged or infringed.

Bussard Patent Application

Of note:

The United States government has a royalty free license to the invention claimed herein for governmental purposes under the terms of the Department of Navy contract N68936-03-C-0031.

Some more links:

World Intellectual Property Organization:

http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?IA= ... SPLAY=DESC

March 2003 contract award:

http://www.fbodaily.com/archive/2003/03 ... 279343.htm

chrismb wrote:I do not see what is unique or novel in this, over and above earlier attempts. It doesn't appear to be strong enough to stand up in that respect if it was challenged or infringed.

I have not read this patent, but from what Buckminster Fuller said in regard to one of his early patents, the usual process was for a patent to be examined, rejected, revised, and resubmitted a few times before it is finally granted. Fuller learned this after the first patent he submitted on his own (as opposed to through the lawyers of the company he worked for) was rejected the first time and he abandoned it.

If this patent application is early in that process, it's likely that what's been claimed isn't novel enough without some more revision.

Why patents used for monopoly purposes are bad:

http://mises.org/story/3280

I think that EMC2 intends to license the technology so that they may not fall into the above trap.

Simon