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Starlite is a material claimed to be able to withstand and insulate from extreme heat. [...] Despite interest from NASA and other major technological companies, Ward never revealed the composition of Starlite, which is still unknown.
Ward allowed various organisations such as the Atomic Weapons Establishment and ICI to conduct tests on samples, but did not permit them to retain samples for fear of reverse engineering. Ward maintained that his invention was worth billions and he insisted he retain 51% ownership of the formula[.]
Stories like this enhance my appreciation for the patent process's intent: to prevent secrets from being lost to the ages, and to enable collaboration while retaining a limited marketing monopoly. I think the process is unfairly maligned by communists who hate all forms of property, and who believe that collaboration and cooperation do not create wealth.
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[–] lemon11 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Page wouldn't load, so I looked it up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlite (also at Infogalactic)
Stories like this enhance my appreciation for the patent process's intent: to prevent secrets from being lost to the ages, and to enable collaboration while retaining a limited marketing monopoly. I think the process is unfairly maligned by communists who hate all forms of property, and who believe that collaboration and cooperation do not create wealth.
[–] PaulNeriAustralia [S] ago
Check out the video here. It's quite fascinating:
http://www.bbc.com/