What began as a separate action may become formally linked to the largest extant U.S. wind power patent war as Mitsubishi has requested to intervene in a lawsuit brought by GE against a former employee over rights to two wind patents.

Last spring GE sued Thomas Wilkins, an electrical engineer who had worked for (more…)

This interview with Seth Ostrow, of Ostrow Kaufman LLP, is based on a real story: TaKaDu, which is just about to end its second year of operation, has entered the allowance phase for its first patent, a cleantech patent, and will probably get it soon. TaKaDu didn’t apply for the patent the moment it was incorporated, nor did it get an application transferred. Actually, (more…)

With the close of another round of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty talks, this one held in Cancun from November 29 – December 10, it is important to look at how green patents fared in the negotiations and the final agreement.

But first, some background. (more…)

In a previous post, I discussed the patent litigation between Boston area lithium ion battery maker A123 Systems Inc. (A123) and Canadian utility Hydro-Quebec (H-Q).

A123 initially brought a suit in April 2006 against H-Q in federal court in Boston as a declaratory judgment (DJ) action for non-infringement and invalidity of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,910,382 (’382 Patent) and 6,514,640 (more…)

Opel Solar, Inc. (Opel), recently announced that the US Patent Office has approved a patent for its latest high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) module.  The new technology promises to increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar PV installations.  This most recent patent is the international company’s thirty-third, with seventeen others pending.  Opel’s (more…)

Japanese LED maker Nichia has initiated another patent infringement suit, this time against a Washington state hand tool company called Wilmar Corporation (Wilmar).

The complaint (nichia-wilmar-complaint.pdf), filed in the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, accuses Wilmar of infringing U.S. Patent Nos. 5,998,925 (’925 Patent), (more…)

Photon enhanced thermionic emission, or PETE, is a relatively new concept in solar energy production. It is considered a major breakthrough because it utilizes both energy from sunlight (solar photons) and from the heat of the sun.

By harvesting both thermal and photon (more…)

With $50 and some elbow grease, a Purdue student created a hybrid vehicle that could inspire a generation of alternative motorists.

Purdue junior and physics major Tony Coiro spent $2,500 redesigning and retrofitting the used 1978 Suzuki motorcycle, and ended up with a solar- (more…)

Only two months remain for applicants who want to take advantage of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Green Technology Pilot Program. The program – a fast track procedure for green patent applications – is scheduled to close its doors on December 8, (more…)

Altair Engineering (Altair) is a Michigan-based company that sells energy efficient solid state lighting products, particularly LED lamps, through its subsidiary, Ilumisys.

Altair owns U.S. Patent Nos. 7,049,761 (’761 Patent) and 7,510,299 (’299 Patent), both directed to a light tube for a fluorescent light fixure having a plurality of light emitting (more…)