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US: Companies put eco-patents into the public domain

Date: 14 Jan 2007

IBM, Nokia, Pitney Bowes and Sony have announced that they have put 31 patented environmental technologies into the public domain for the benefit of society.

The companies said that the Eco-Patent Commons, which will be run by the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, would help to spur further innovation in areas that need speed in development, particularly in energy efficiency and water saving.

27 of the initial 31 patents have been contributed by IBM, including a patent for a process that converts pollutants into stable gases. Sony has donated a patent that enables the purification of waste water. Nokia has given a process for transforming old phones into new electronic devices.

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