(186e) Leveraging Intellectual Property for Biofuel Innovators

Although the cleantech landscape is polluted with thousands of energy and environmental patents, there is room for companies with revolutionary, or even evolutionary, technologies to thrive. Protecting a machine or process that saves a penny on the dollar ? particularly in industries with a low profit margin like the biofuel industry ? brings a company one step closer to economic feasibility, and one step ahead of their competitors. Biofuel companies must also be able to identify and successfully navigate the vast body of patents that have issued to competitors over the past decades. This presentation will explore the latest developments in intellectual property law that emerging biofuel companies must be aware of in order to avoid the kind of patent problems that have plagued and ultimately destroyed many new companies.

Statement why your proposal should be considered:

With concerns about oil prices and global environmental issues, investment in clean technologies has risen dramatically over the past few years. The biofuel industry is based on innovative technologies, and those technologies must be protected in order for companies to be economically successful.