Cars with batteries that can be recharged through the power grid are at the top of many auto manufacturers' priority lists, but they may have to pay royalties to produce them.
I was talking with Andy Frank, a professor at UC Davis fo
r an upcoming article about plug-in hybrids, and he said that he and his university currently holds 9 patents dating back to 1999 related to plug-in hybrid vehicles, and they have applied for another 5.
Frank told me he doesn't have the resources to fight companies such as GM or Ford in a patent dispute, and said there dozens of cases where the financial might of the auto industry has outlasted small patent-holders. His plan is to continue his research on plug-ins for a few more years, and then sell the patent portfolio "to the highest bidder," who would then take the auto makers to court to collect royalties.
The patents held by UC Davis are likely to be extremely valuable, so it will be interesting to see who starts the bidding war.
