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Unnecessary Patent Encumbrance of Large Automotive NiMH Batteries : What is Required are Draconian Penalties for the Greedy Patent Holders

By Andis Kaulins

One of the areas of environmental protection and improved energy development which are being unnecessarily held back by overly broad patent protection is the development and sale of large automotive NiMH Batteries.

We have been researching the puzzling snail's pace of production of hybrid and electrical vehicles and ran across the Wikipedia article Patent encumbrance of large automotive NiMH batteries.

In days such as ours when major carmakers such as General Motors and Chrysler have filed bankruptcy and when the spectre of recession and depression are on our doorstep because of the stupidity and greed of monopolistic patent holders and private enterprise companies, the entire legal system - and by this we mean legislators in Congress and in State and local governments, officials in government agencies, and judges and lawyers in the judicial system, must start to become aware of the totally unnecessary harm that overly broad patents are doing to the economy by thwarting absolutely necessary developments in the energy sector.

The example of large automative NiMH batteries is a case in point where draconian examples should be made.

If it is true, as stated in that Wikipedia article, that companies to whom patent monopolies have been granted by foolish patent laws are refusing to sell large automative NiMH batteries to smaller companies and developers - thus greatly harming the progress of energy innovation in the electrical sector, then the owners and directors of such companies and the patent owners of the technology involved should all be put in jail for causing substantial and avoidable harm to the public weal. I would put a government task force on this project with the goal of revoking whatever patents in this area can be revoked and a special prosecutor should be put on the tails of those responsible for this debacle.

Full post as published by LawPundit on June 08, 2009 (boomark / email).