I've been following this discussion for a while and now I think Mr. Rossi needs to be aware that his intellectual property claims may be in danger. I can understand that he would like to have it both ways. He would like to have a patent and he would like to keep the essential ingredients a secret. Unfortunately, the USPTO does not allow that. I'm not sure how it works in other countries, but in the U.S. you can't get away with it.
It's called the best mode requirement. If you file a patent and do not disclose the best mode, your patent is invalid. It's all right if you have filed your patent and later later discover a better method. Unfortunately for Mr. Rossi, he has already publicly declared that there is a secret ingredient not disclosed in his patent application. I'm still not entirely certain that the whole thing isn't a hoax, although I can't really see what the purpose would be. Mr. Rossi's problem, assuming his device works, is that his invention is too important. He knows this. He has a tiger by the tail and his bizarre behavior is no doubt a manifestation. Even though he has expressed all sorts of altruistic motives, it's very hard not to think he isn't swayed by the possibility of vast riches. Who wouldn't be? I suspect that in the end, if he doesn't change his intellectual property strategy, he will lose control of this invention. M.
