Word: patent
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Mills's detractors recently succeeded in convincing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to revoke a patent issued on Feb. 15 to his company, BlackLight Power, Inc. of Cranbury, N.J. BlackLight was awarded the patent for a process developed by Mills in which hydrogen molecules are broken down to release energy and "hydrinos...
...company is now suing to recover the lost patent. Jeffrey Melcher, BlackLight's lawyer in Washington, says he expects to appear before a U.S. District Court Judge on May 22. He says he is seeking summary judgment to have Blacklight's patent reinstated...
...best of my knowledge, the U.S. Patent Office's action in this case is unprecedented or extremely rare," Mills says...
...curators also include examples of Watts's subversion of three consumerist and capitalist systems: the bureaucratic system in his attempt to patent the word "pop" and his collection of all "pop"-related patents, the postal system in his endeavor to circulate his own stamps and the monetary system in his attempt to mint his own mock currency. Hastily labeled as subtle critiques of the privileged class's control of aesthetic standards, these pieces are significant for their wit, whimsy, and delightful irreverence...
...Gene patents, to be sure, can be useful. Without them, the private sector wouldn't ante up the billions of dollars needed to drive biotechnology. But critics feel that far too many patents are being issued on DNA sequences whose commercial use is unclear. Though the Patent and Technology Office is trying to reduce the number of approvals it issues, no one doubts the courts will eventually have to step in. But now the rush is on to patent every gene in sight...