PieChart - parents do take 2+ years to get approved, yes, but...

PieChart - parents do take 2+ years to get approved, yes, but that doesn’t really matter - the key thing is that now they’ve applied for it they can start disclosing the previously ‘secret’ method, both in future feasibility studies and to other parties etc.

If anyone copies the method, but the patent is granted, the copier will have to pay damages or similar - the patent will have an effective date of when the applications was made rather than when it was granted.

in any event I don’t think any of us saw this IP play coming, so if we can licence it to other SOP plays it’s pure upside. Not the end of the world if the patents not granted - it should still improve our project economics and we’d still have the competitive advantage of the core characteristics of the project (quality and scale etc).

what I really like about it is that I guess there’s a chance of the method being commercially proven on another project before our own, and if that’s the case it should dramatically increase the interest in financing / Co-developing our own project because it effectively derisks it.

assuming the method does work at scale, I think it’s a master stroke and well worth the extra wait to get the patent application in place before moving the feasibility studies forward.