NASA just released another 56 patents into its public repository, relinquishing its claim to these technologies to allow the private sector to innovate off them and foster new markets.
The newly released patents join more than 1,000 that had previously expired to fill out a new online database available to the public at large.
Database: Public Domain NASA Technologies
“By making these technologies available in the public domain, we are helping foster a new era of entrepreneurship that will again place America at the forefront of high-tech manufacturing and economic competitiveness,” said Daniel Lockney, executive in charge of NASA’s Technology Transfer (T2) program, which pushes useful agency innovations into the private sector. “By releasing this collection into the public domain, we are encouraging entrepreneurs to explore new ways to commercialize NASA technologies.”
Lockney noted the patents were developed to solve issues critical to NASA’s mission, however many have “non-aerospace applications” that could be useful to entrepreneurs and others might have alternative uses no one has thought of yet.
NASA officials carefully chose which patents would be released through a “rigorous review process,” according to a May 5 release.
“Decision-makers looked for technologies that offer the potential for high unit values but are less likely to be licensed by outside companies because of low demand for resulting products — e.g., spacecraft — or the technology still requires significant development before it is marketable,” the release explains.
In order to help interested persons get started, the website for the T2 program includes the full public patent portfolio, an open source software catalog, analytics, training and success stories.
