Hi K
My understanding is similar to yours in that I think you need to file a patent in each individual country where you want protection. This is APG's current status in Australia:
|
|
Applicant(s) |
Inventor(s) |
Filing date |
Application status |
|
|
|
| 1 |
1 |
2014900322 |
Direct Reduction |
Austpac Resources N.L. |
WINTER, John David |
2014-02-04 |
FILED |
|
| 2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 3 |
2 |
2008904808 |
Direct Reduction |
Austpac Resources N.L. |
Winter, John |
2008-09-15 |
LAPSED |
|
| 4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 5 |
3 |
2006257708 |
Processing of metal chloride solutions and method and apparatus for producing direct reduced iron |
Austpac Resources N.L. |
Winter, John David |
2006-06-15 |
LAPSED |
|
| 6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 7 |
4 |
2005903124 |
Processing of Metal Chloride Solutions |
Austpac Resources NL |
Winter, John David |
2005-06-15 |
LAPSED |
|
| 8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 9 |
5 |
2002215692 |
Production of synthetic rutile by continuous leaching |
Austpac Resources NL |
Winter, John |
2001-12-20 |
GRANTED |
|
| 10 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 11 |
6 |
2000PR2216 |
Production of synthetic rutile by continuous leaching |
Austpac Resources NL |
|
2000-12-20 |
LAPSED |
|
It is also my understanding that it wouldn't be too difficult to 'black box' any required parts (those under patent) of a process such as APG's to avoid IP copying in Australia. That would mean hopefully that an o/s Coy would have to invent/re-engineer those parts of the process covered by patent and black boxed by APG. That might make it uneconomical to proceed atm as opposed to waiting to see what APG came up with, and then make a commercial decision once an APG plant is up and running.
Cargill - who own half of this JV with BlueScope are very interesting
''Cargill, Incorporated, is an American
privately held,
multinational corporation based in
Minnetonka,
Minnesota, a
Minneapolis suburb. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held
corporation in the United States in terms of revenue.
[2] If it were a
public company, it would rank, as of 2013, number 9 on the
Fortune 500, behind
Valero Energy and ahead of
Ford Motor Company.
[3]''
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargill
