A Group of Engineering Students Set Themselves the Task of Creating

Essay

A group of engineering students set themselves the task of creating a motor powerful enough to run a car using solar power rather than gasoline.Two years into the project the students managed to create a prototype vehicle that was functional and environmentally friendly.The media was called, and several newspapers ran stories about the students, and how the students were going to try to sell their idea to a car manufacturer.Soon after, the students received a letter from an oil company informing them that it already owned the patent for the solar motor and that the students' motor, if sold, would be infringing the oil company's patent.Is the oil company correct? It turns out that the oil company held the patent but was not marketing it for fear of losing profits on its oil sales.What does this situation say about how patent law balances private rights with the public good?