Posts Tagged "patent protection"

Two Chinese companies have been locked in a bidding war to buy United States automaker Fisker Automotive Holdings, Inc.   The overall prospects of the company are bleak (it is in bankruptcy after all) but whoever purchases the company will own the eighteen patents it developed.  Outside of entry into US market, whoever buys Fisker will not have much else to work with. Fisker had received hundreds of millions in federal dollars to develop hybrid cars.  However, it has not produced a car since 2012.  It owns a factory formerly owned by General Motors but has let it fall into disrepair.  After the company failed to meet milestones established by the Energy Department the company stopped receiving payouts from the federal government.  Fisker then declared bankruptcy the bankruptcy judge set a February 12th date for an auction of Fisker’s assets. The company’s patent holdings are particularly valuable to anyone looking to enter the alternative-fuels market.  These patents include drivetrain technology for electric cars, cover grille designs, and a fender vent.  Fisker also has pending patents on aluminum subframing and solar technology in vehicles.  Whichever company obtains these patents will be able to avoid years of research and development and be able to implement these inventions in new car models.  Even...