Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Energy

In Fresno yesterday, McCain offered a proposal to deal with America's energy woes:
The Clean Car Challenge, and a US$300,000,000 prize for a better battery.

I want to know if the $300 million is tax free. Otherwise, you'd probably lose $118,800,000 right from the get-go to the IRS*. That's not even counting state income taxes. And if you invent this battery and get the prize, do you still get to keep the patent rights? Or is the government offering to buy the patent for the $300 mil? How about patent rights in other countries? I'm thinking that the worldwide licensing rights for such an invention would surpass the $181,200,000 you'd get from the U.S. government, considering that patent rights generally last 20 years.



*If the maximum rate is 39.6%, and I'm not sure that it is.
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If its like a normal prize like the X-Price or M-Price I think you get to keep any patent rights. It simply acts as an additional incentive, and usually generates many times more research than the prize amount (it acts as a multiplier.)

Also, someone may come up with a battery that is not patentable, no? Say a combination of other similar items.

3:38 PM
Chaon said...

I don't know much about batteries, but I can't see how such a thing would not be patentable. Every patent is a combination of known items to some extent.

4:08 PM
Anonymous said...

Well, let's say that if they mess up on their application and end up with a weak patent the 300 million buys consolation drinks.

Red A

9:03 AM

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