Carbon nanotubes are tiny structures made of “rolled-up” layers of interconnected carbon atoms. Due to their extraordinary properties, nanotubes could be used in a wide range of products across several industries. Their huge commercial potential has resulted in a frenzy to establish broad patent protection on nanotube inventions. As a result, anyone attempting to commercialize nanotube faces a dense “thicket” of patents and patent applications held by various firms, universities, and government labs.
These carbon nanotube patent thickets are a vivid case study of the complicated and untested patent issues that face the nanotechnology industry as a whole. This essay explores the myriad issues posed by carbon nanotube patents. First, nanotubes and their potential commercial applications are briefly outlined. Next, the difficulty in navigating the nanotube patent thicket is presented through serious questions as to the validity and scope of some nanotube patent claims. Legal uncertainties are being raised in applying patent law doctrines— such as patentable subject matter, novelty, obviousness, and enablement—to challenge nanotube patent claims. For example, prior carbon fiber research from the 1970s and 1980s is being discovered that could potentially be used as invalidating prior art.
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Harris, D.L. (2009). Carbon Nanotube Patent Thickets. In: Allhoff, F., Lin, P. (eds) Nanotechnology & Society. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6209-4_9
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