The Value of Patent Pooling

What does 1850s sewing machine technology have in common with modern fibre Bragg grating (FBG) technology? In each case, licensing blossomed after key patents were pooled.

In October 2008 the Communications Research Centre (CRC) hosted the 4th Optimized Link State Routing Protocol Workshop (OLSR), drawing participants from Europe, North America and Asia. They came with a single purpose in mind: to discuss and test the next generation of software that will lead to a truly wireless world. The software, being developed in part by CRC, will allow computers to communicate - to form networks - in the complete absence of infrastructure.

Steganography, the art and science of hiding communication, has been a part of spy craft and military strategy for millennia. In the Histories of Herodotus, written in 440 BC, the author recounts the story of Histiaeus, who shaved the head of his most trusted slave, tattooed a message on his scalp and, once the hair had grown back, sent the man through enemy lines to deliver the message.

More and more, users demand that wireless technologies provide high availability, ubiquitous communications over large areas. This becomes increasingly difficult as the distance between end users grows, as is the case for many military operations. They require reliable, strategic and tactical long-range communications even in the most challenging environments where difficult terrain is the norm.