Here’s an article and a blog post from the NY Times about Google’s research into energy, in particular alternative energy sources.  If you’re interested, both are worth reading.  One paragraph of the blog post caught my eye:

“As to how Google would commercialize its own energy research — and the intellectual property that rises from it, [William E.] Weihl [Googe's green energy czar] said, ‘We could potentially start a company to commercialize the IP technology we develop.’  Or, he said, Google could also take another approach: Offering up the technology under an open source license, so that others could benefit from it –- and so that Google could benefit from cheaper energy.”

I’ve already posted on how Google’s already begun patenting alternative energy technology.  But open-sourcing it?  With their stock price down by around 40%, I can’t imagine that their investors would be thrilled by giving away a potentially lucrative patent portfolio.

In any case, it looks like Google’s giving Mr. bgC3 some competition.  Again.

Submitted by: Dan Giancaterino, Internet Librarian
on October 28, 2008 - 11:43 am

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