The Ocean Cleanup has applied for a patent for the innovative technology that the Dutch company intends to use to clean up the huge quantities of plastic waste littering the world’s oceans. The company’s founder Boyan Slat announced the application last Wednesday on Twitter.
The patent will enable The Ocean Cleanup to make optimum use of its innovative technology in order to achieve its mission: cleaning up our oceans. The patent application is being supervised by V.O. Patents & Trademarks, which will be working with The Ocean Cleanup as a partner for a three-year period. At last night’s ‘The NeXt Phase’ event, The Ocean Cleanup unveiled a new technology that Slat and his team have been working on for two years. It is set to make the process of cleaning up plastic waste in the oceans even faster and more efficient than has seemed feasible until now. The technology offers so much potential that Slat has decided to apply for a patent for his invention.
Patent ensures control over innovation
State-of-the-art, innovative technology can be an important asset, even for nonprofit companies like The Ocean Cleanup. Patenting secures the value of the technology, enabling innovative entrepreneurs to align intellectual property with their business interests. Thanks to the patent, The Ocean Cleanup can prevent other companies from copying the invention and claiming right of use. In this way, the company will be able to secure its aim of cleaning up the oceans. The patent also enables the organisation to remain in control of the innovation, deciding how the technology is deployed and who works with it.
V.O. becomes partner of The Ocean Cleanup for three-year period
The next three years, V.O. Patents & Trademarks will be ‘official supplier’ to The Ocean Cleanup, in order to help Boyan Slat and his team to make optimum use of their intellectual property. V.O.’s first contribution has been to formulate and submit the patent application for the new system that was unveiled last night. For future innovations, V.O. will also act on behalf of The Ocean Cleanup in order to maximize the value of its intellectual property.
