Four ethanol plants have committed to installing ICM’s new patent-pending Advanced Oil System (AOS) corn oil extraction technology. According to ICM, AOS uses an emulsion-breaking approach to deliver a higher oil recovery rate than other technologies. The system can be added to plants without any current corn oil technology via separate skid mounted units or a modified version can be added to plants that currently have ICM’s first generation corn oil extraction technology.
SEE ARTICLE HERE
SkunK
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
According to ICM HERE:
"The Advanced Oil System design and method falls outside of all patent claims of GreenShift Corporation’s patent, according to Brian Burris, general counsel for ICM."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
According to GreenShift HERE:
"David Winsness, GreenShift’s Chief Technology Officer, said that “We are aware of no practical method to recover corn oil from stillage that is not covered by our patents, including processes involving ‘staged’ recovery of oil from emulsion layers, . . "
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SkunK Questions? ICM is now saying this new process is outside the GreenShift patent claims. Does that imply they now accept that the old process was within the claims?
David Winsness, GreenShift’s Chief Technology Officer, added: “ICM and others have stated their view that our corn oil extraction patents were issued in error and should be declared invalid as obvious and unpatentable." [So why is ICM now trying to patent their corn oil extraction, and claim they discovered a way to skirt the GreenShift's patents?]
Guess these are some reasons the courts are so busy.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
I hope a spirit of compromise exists within the GERS management. GERS needs to put egos aside and find a settlement that they can live with, otherwise the risk of legal maneuvers going on for years is very high. The common stock holders have paid this price and we need to get out of the business of paying legal fees as soon as possible. I am not suggesting allowing others to pirate their intellectual property. That must be protected. But, GPRE, Sunoco, and the USTPO (twice) have all spoken. It is clear that GERS sits in the King's Chair on this issue and they need to use this exalted position in the interest of those that have paid the bills; not getting every last drop of blood from the turnip to support their egos, no matter how long it takes, and no matter how much dilution is required to support their quest. This is an example of where a real governance structure, not a family owned fiefdom would likely make different decisions as the former would be accountable to the stockholders, the latter is not.
It's not about egos, it's about right and wrong, honesty and stealing, legal and illegal. The lawsuits are justified. The business the lawsuits have generated thus far is a clear sign more lawsuits are to come. ICM will settle the Tricanter suit but the battle will continue on the laws of patents.
If it ties onto the Tricanters, that tells 'ya right there they're extacting from stillage.
Post a Comment