BIG THREE LEAD IN GREEN TECHNOLOGY

[CARBIZ]

Sorry, no linky. This is in the paper edition of the Sun today and I couldn't find it online anywhere, but felt it was relevant to one of my main arguments, which is the amount of intellectual property that could be lost if GM or Ford went under

"An excerpt on why the Big3 are worth saving by James E. Malackowski, an expert in intellectual property:

'General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are collectively one of the world's primary sources for the research and development of green and fuel-efficent technologies. As Washington decides on aid to the industry, top consideration should be given to the significant potential of these Big 3 technologies for stimulating economic and job growth and creating a greener and more fuel efficient world. Much of the privately funded green and energy innovation in the U.S. will stall or never come to fruition if the domestic auto industry fails.

Consider that:

- GM has higher average quality and newer green technology and patents than the other 14 auto makers combined.

-GM has 70% of the patents in the emerging technology category. This domestic share increases to 85% if Ford is added.

The Big-3's green technologiescan help the U.S. move towards further energy independence, serve as the building blocks for creating and improving alternative power plants, and increasing fuel efficiency for standard or hybrid vehicles, both of which will decrease harmful emissions.

If GM, Ford or Chrysler should fail, many of these key technologies would likely be lost to the U.S. and create a historically unique opportunity for their foreign competitors to acquire a vast amount of crown jewel technology for a fraction of their true value.'"

The last point is what sends chills down my spine. Translation: North America will be relegated to a backwater as these technologies shift to Asia and Europe.

Like I say to every Lexus driver I can: "tell your kids to start practicing 'would you like fries with that?'"

[A Horse With No Name]

IMHO, we can't get rid of our current administration fast enough and get actual adults running our country.

I think Pelosi, Obama, and company get it and will give the North American auto industry the help it needs to survive.

Sorry to be political, but I really don't think Bush gives a rats ass if the carmakers die.

Chris

[G. David Felt]

This is so true as to why we MUST Support our American Companies.

[siegen]

The article is a bit vague. Saying GM has the most patents means nothing. GM has been around a lot longer than most other automakers, but that doesn't mean all the patents they've filed in the last 100 years are still relevant today.

We need examples. Why not list every piece of green unique technology GM is producing currently around the world? Is GM the number one producer of green bus and train power plants? If so, that's the kind of information that has weight to it.

Edited December 10, 2008 by siegen

[balthazar]

>>"GM has 70% of the patents in the emerging technology category."<<

I did not read this as 'all patents issued over the last 100 years'. That said- I'm always in favor of more details.

Edited December 10, 2008 by balthazar

[BigPontiac]

GM's Fastlane Blog had a blurb posted about patents today. Link: GM Leads the Way in Fueling Innovation

[siegen]

>>"GM has 70% of the patents in the emerging technology category."<<

I did not read this as 'all patents issued over the last 100 years'. That said- I'm always in favor of more details.

i really just skimmed over it.

GM's Fastlane Blog had a blurb posted about patents today. Link: GM Leads the Way in Fueling Innovation

That link is an interesting one. IBM had 3,149 patents for 2007. Wow.

Honda had the most patents for 2007 among the big automakers, however the pipeline score for GM was the highest. Given how much smaller Honda is than GM, it is interesting that they filed so many more patents. The Pipeline Impact score is neat, I wish I could see the numbers beneath it, as it indicates how many other company's patents cited their patents.

[CARBIZ]

The article was an excerpt of an editorial from somewhere else. I tried googling this guy to find out if there was a reference to the full text of his editorial, but I came up with nothing.

I, too, thought it was odd that the Sun would publish such a brief article, without any references or back up. But then, this is the Toronto Sun, known for it's grade 4 level reporting. This Malackowski guy is supposed to be some reputable intellectual property consultant, however. Still, I wonder where the original text is from. An American newspaper article perhaps?

[pow]

Green innovations are cool... but IMO it's more noteworthy when produced in mass scale (e.g., Toyota's Prius, 1 million sales; GM's flex fuel vehicles, 3 million).