Environmental Leader

Ricoh Co. Ltd. and Taisei Corporation, an engineering construction company, are pledging to donate some environmentally friendly patents to the public domain.

Ricoh and Taisei have joined Eco-Patent Commons, which is coordinated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, to offer certain patents to the public domain.

According to a press release, Ricoh and Taisei are offering the following patents:

• A technology developed by Ricoh that focuses on the recycling of removable cartridges;
• A construction technology developed by Taisei to improve water quality.

Additionally, DuPont, which last fall joined the initiative and pledged four patents, is pledging seven more patents. These patents are for refrigerant materials and they could reduce ozone depletion.

IBM, Nokia, Pitney Bowes and Sony were the first members of the Eco-Patent Commons. Last fall, Bosch, DuPont and Xerox joined.

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