Odaily Planet Daily News According to a ruling by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Tuesday, the patent application of oil and gas mining company Crusoe Energy against mining infrastructure company Upstream Data finally brought partial victory to both parties.
The USPTO ruled that Crusoe Energy proved that the concept of using natural gas generators to power Bitcoin mining farms is not patentable, but failed to prove that the specific design aspects of Upstream Data's oil and gas Bitcoin mining system are also not patentable.
The case is the first in the Bitcoin mining industry, especially the oil and gas mining industry. The USPTO's ruling opens the door to possible future litigation, especially around Upstream's claims about various oil and gas container designs for Bitcoin mining field operations.
Crusoe Energy recently completed a $600 million Series D financing round, with a valuation of $2.8 billion. Meanwhile, Upstream Data is a relatively small private company focused on oil and gas Bitcoin mining farms in Alberta, Canada. The impact of Upstream's partial victory is unclear, but it can be used to force the payment of royalties or other protective measures against competitors. (Blockspace)