Hydrogen Fuel Cell Patent Applications "Skyrocketing"

Auto-industry patent filings for hydrogen fuel cell innovations are going through the roof as players large and small stake their claims in this huge emerging market, according to patent attorney Robert Fieseler of tech law firm McAndrews, Held & Malloy. Fieseler, who was principal patent counsel at fuel cell trailblazer Ballard for 15 years, says the number of filings

began growing almost exponentially about seven years ago, with the leading filers between 2000 and 2002 being suppliers such as Siemens AG and Ballard Power Systems Inc. By 2003, however, the majority of PCT applications shifted to OEMs, with Toyota Motor Corp. leading the way after barely being on the map in the 2000-2002 period.

Fieseler identifies five areas that will be crucial for mass-production deployment of hydrogen fuel cells in vehicles: reducing catalyst cost; reducing membrane cost; onboard hydrogen storage; infrastructure development; and water management. "The people who find these solutions," he says, "are going to be the ones who spent a lot of money and a lot of brain power" — and they'll need patents to "encircle the technology" and recoup their R&D investment.

Fuel Cell Patent War Heats Up [Fuel Cell Works]