When I wrote about the growing number of nanotechnology-related lawsuits yesterday, I didn't mention Motley Fool Rule Breakers recommendation Harris & Harris (Nasdaq: TINY ) -- a publicly traded venture capital firm specializing in nanotech-related investments. But it's worth a closer look, since its diverse investments give the firm a stake in an increasing number of potentially valuable patents.
On Tuesday, Nanosys, a private nanotechnology company in which Harris & Harris has an equity stake, announced that it was awarded two additional patents covering nanostructure-based field effect transistors (FETs). Nanosys now owns more than 450 nanotechnology patents -- and by extension, so do Harris & Harris investors. More importantly, these patents position Nanosys well for future growth, because FETs are expected to find applications in high-performance arrays for wireless communications devices and nanosensors.
To this end, Nanosys already has agreements in place with Intel (Nasdaq: INTC ) . If these arrays and sensors find uses in Intel's new WiMax chips, it could bode well for Harris & Harris investors.
Besides Nanosys, Harris & Harris also has equity stakes in other nanotech start-ups that possess potentially valuable patents. For instance, Nantero has valuable intellectual property applying to nonvolatile random access memory (NRAM); Nanomix has patents in the field of nanoelectronic sensors; and Molecular Imprints, which is partnering with Motorola (NYSE: MOT ) and KLA-Tencor (Nasdaq: KLAC ) , is a leader in nanoimprint lithography, a technology that could play a big role in the transition to next-generation computer chips.
Not all of these companies or their technologies will pan out. But by casting a wide net, Harris & Harris is well-positioned to profit, should any of this promising nanotechnology-related intellectual property make its way into commercial products.
Further full-sized Foolishness:
Keep tabs on big events in tiny technology with a free 30-day trial subscription to David Gardner'sMotley Fool Rule Breakers.
Fool contributor Jack Uldrich is the author of two books on nanotechnology, including Investing in Nanotechnology: Think Small, Win Big. He owns stock in Harris & Harris and Intel. Intel is aMotley Fool Inside Valuepick. The Fool has a strict disclosure policy.
RSS Headlines
Fool UK
Comments from our Foolish Readers
Help us keep this a respectfully Foolish area! This is a place for our readers to discuss, debate, and learn more about the Foolish investing topic you read about above. Help us keep it clean and safe. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Fool's Rules, please report it via the
Report this Comment icon found on every comment.
Be the first one to comment on this article.