Aussieyank One of the things that has changed in the last 9...

Aussieyank
One of the things that has changed in the last 9 years since 2009 – I think Auspac’s patent on the EARS process has expired.
Patents only last 20 years, and I remember the EARS process was patented in the early 1990s.

So I did a search of the APG 2009 Annual Report for searchword = patent.
Results below are direct quotes from the report
Page 7: “the name EARS ( Acid Regeneration Regeneration System) refers to APG’s patented system....”
Page 7: “APG has patented a new DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) process....”
Page 9: “APG’s patented Continuous Leach Reactor is a world first for synrutile production”
Page 9: “ the ERMS (Enhanced Roasting and Magnetic Separation) process is Austpac’s patented roasting technique....”

So I did a search of the recent 2018 Annual Report for searchword = patent.
The only mentions of patent refer to patent that is still pending
Page 4: “In November 2016, Austpac lodged a patent application entitled “Processing of Zinc-containing waste” to protect the new this new recycling process. The Application entered the International publishing processing stage on 11 May 2018.”

When I search the 2018 Report for EARS – it appears, but not claimed as patented
When I search the 2018 Report for DRI – it is not mentioned at all
When I search the 2018 Report for Continuous Leach Reactor – – it is not mentioned at all
When I search the 2018 Report for ERMS – it is mentioned only once. But what was previously in 2009 patented is now only called proprietory.
Page 7 “ .... development of Austpac’s proprietory ERMS roasting process....”


So what patents does actually APG hold today ????
If APG does not have a current patent - what is it that APG is trying to licence to the steel industry????
Hope somebody asks at the AGM

Wilcox