!090294 DOE in middle of squabble over solar cell patents It seems the DOE has landed in the middle of a squabble over patent rights to solar cell technology, where interestingly, litigants on both sides have received some of their solar cell funding from the DOE. It started out when earlier in the year the DOE spinmeisters took a lot of credit for a $6.2 million CRADA (a French word that loosely translates as "a way to give money to companies without giving money to companies", a fine art French socialist bureaucrats have perfected) concluded with United Solar Systems (Troy, MI) to produce an efficient, low cost photovoltaic cell, with USS putting up half the money while preserving all patent rights. Sometime thereafter, Amoco-owned Solarex (Frederick, MD) decided to sue United Solar, claiming that its patents on fundamental aspects of amorphous silicon technology were being infringed by United Solar's devices. In turn, United Solar has sued Solarex, claiming the same infringement, additionally charging that Amoco through Solarex is trying to suffocate the efforts of companies trying to develop a non-oil solution to the energy crisis (citing two other infringement actions initiated by Solarex/Amoco). While these DOE contractors squabble, the Japanese are making inroads into commercial uses of amorphous silicon solar cells, making some wonder if the DOE should take greater efforts to insure the commercialization of tax-funded technologies. Greg Aharonian Internet Patent News Service