New Intellectual Property Model for BioEnergy Tech Development

I sent the following letter to Barack Obama and his Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

I would like to see a new form of technological development applied to bioenergy and alternate energy development. It would borrow elements from the aircraft and ship building during WWII.

During that time, the rules governing the competing goal of intellectual property rights (proprietary ownership of methods and designs) and rapid development through sharing knowledge were re-written. We need to share technological information in order to bring energy source changes to the public quicker.

A wiki style forum to share ideas in particular fields would have the advantage of bringing all the designers and developers abreast of the latest developments, as well as producing a consensus design that will provide standardization (and therefore more rapid diffusion) of the emerging technology.

In order to reward creativity and incentivize design efforts, we need to come up with a hybrid intellectual property rights formula. I propose that we use government money to fund selected pilot plant projects, with the stipulation that all design development will be instantly published and widely disseminated. This allows private individuals, research organizations, and private industry to develop technology without shouldering the huge capital expense of R&D. In exchange, technologies developed will be un-patentable, or patented for free public use. In some situations, we should offer patents that do not allow the patent holder to restrict use of the technology by others, in exchange for some licensing fee.

Using this plan, an example would be development of an algae energy plant. We could set the pilot plant up at some medium sized city's wastewater treatment plant, and start the job of turning the waste stream into clean water and algae based bio-fuels (ethanol and biodiesel, as well as livestock feed). University based researchers could test strains of algae, industry representatives could try equipment to convert the algae to lipids and starches, and engineering or research firms could be brought in to administer the pilot plant (and in the process learn how to plan and sell the plants to future customers).

Please consider the need to alter the current rules of intellectual property in order to speed development of our future alternative energy technologies.

Thank you.

Mike Jones