M·CAM, Inc. releases Patently Obvious® on Oasys Water, Inc. and Modern Water, Inc.

Date:  Mon, 2011-06-06

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – June 6, 2011 – M·CAM, Inc. released its Patently Obvious® report today on the patent holdings of Oasys Water, Inc. and Modern Water, Inc.

The future security of the world’s freshwater supply is uncertain at best. With the world’s burgeoning population pushing the demand threshold of a limited freshwater supply, it is projected that one-third of all humans will face severe and chronic water shortages by the year 2025.

Companies around the world are making significant investments in the development of such technologies. Oasys Water and Modern Water are two companies presenting technologies that claim to improve upon existing water desalination processes. Both companies have patented a process to produce potable water that uses forward, or “manipulated,” osmosis.

While the proposed technological improvements by Oasys’ and Modern Water have the potential to reduce the financial and energy costs of desalination, M·CAM’s intellectual property analysis reveals significant un-cited precedent innovation that raise the question as to whether their systems provide true innovation over existing osmotic systems. Much of this precedent innovation was found in the public domain.

Investors and consumers alike may find cause to call into question both the moral and economic efficacy of enforcing patents that protect technologies otherwise freely available in the public domain, particularly in the context of a global crisis of basic necessities like potable water. Systems like the Global Innovation Commons (GIC) that harness these open-source innovations are proving more attractive as platforms especially capable of addressing international problems.

M·CAM’s Patently Obvious® is a weekly report providing visibility into potentially unconsidered alternatives, including art in the public domain, to patent holdings across a variety of technology areas.

M·CAM, Inc. is a global, full-service intellectual property and rights (IP&R) and intangible asset financial services firm. We provide the technical and financial systems that allow public and private markets to use IP&R and IA for regulated transactions in banking, securities, insurance, and public innovation investment and technology procurement. From our pioneering work in creating the world’s first standards-based innovation collateralization financial products for banking and securities to our work in grassroots innovator enablement and patent quality assurance programs, M·CAM provides the mechanism to balance the interests of public and commercial sectors to support and build thriving economies.

The M·CAM Patently Obvious® report on Oasys Water, Inc. and Modern Water, Inc. can be found HERE.