RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: The girls say. @aves,
I think the most plausible reasons for BAE not buying into OPEL are as follows:
1. POET wasn't approaching readiness until about mid-2010. and taking a bite was still too risky.
2. OPEL wasn't interested in giving a piece to BAE because they would not have full control of POET.
As for #1, I think we are only now at the point where we are going to be seriously considered for a buyout. Most of us thought - and were led to believe by the company - that we would be at this stage a year ago. We all know why this didn't happen.
For me, #2 is the most important. I have checked out the patent portfolio of many companies which were thought to offer POET-like technologies because of DD brought by many good posters here on SH. So far none of the serious contenders have a portfolio even close to what POET has. OPEL has 34 granted POET patents and most of those I have looked at (I'm talking about companies in the pre-manufacture stage) have less than 5.
More importantly, some of OPEL's competitors who were also funded through SBIR grants have special notes attached to their patents granting a military arm "special rights" to the IP. I actually looked for the example I found for APIC corp, and it seems the Navy no longer has those special rights. Perhaps they no longer have a contract with APIC (which would be good for us). But here's another example :
https://www.google.com/patents/EP2095143A1?cl=en&dq=%22american+semiconductor%22+%22The+Government+has+certain+rights+in+this+invention%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qhpOUf0c5brIAa_ygeAP&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA
FTA:
METHOD AND CIRCUIT FOR LOW-POWER DETECTION OF SOLDER- JOINT NETWORK FAILURES IN DIGITAL ELECTRONIC PACKAGES
Governmental Rights [0001] This invention was made with Government support under Contract N68335-06-C-0346 awarded by Naval Air Warfare Center AD (LKE) . The Government has certain rights in this invention.
I think Lee can be heard to comment on the amazing accomplishment of retaining the rights to all of the POET IP over the course of so many years of development. I do not think OPEL is ready to just give a way a piece of the company to BAE who could squash OPEL under their little toe if they got a director on the board.
It would be interesting to know the terms of OPEL's arrangement with BAE in terms of what BAE could expect as a return on investment bringing POET to fruition.