VIASPACE Reports That Key Fuel Cell Patent in Europe, Licensed by VIASPACE Subsidiary, Has Been Issued to Caltech

VIASPACE Inc., announced today that a key Caltech direct methanol fuel cell patent was granted in Europe, specifically Germany, Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands and Sweden. This is patent EP 0 755 576 B1 for an organic fuel cell and methods of operation thereof and methods of manufacture thereof. The patent has been licensed from Caltech and the University of Southern California by VIASPACE subsidiary, Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation (DMFCC).

VIASPACE and Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation CEO Dr. Carl Kukkonen stated, “A strong patent position is a key part of our strategy. The direct methanol fuel cell was invented at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (which is managed by Caltech) and the University of Southern California. We have licensed approximately 100 fuel cell patents from Caltech. The company has also filed several patent applications of its own. Foreign patents and particularly those in Europe, Japan and Korea are very important. This patent issuance is critical to potential business partners working with DMFCC for their fuel cell cartridge needs. Our company is focusing on the consumable part of the fuel cell business — that is the fuel. International safety regulations require that the fuel be in a safe sealed container called the fuel cartridge. We and our partners are manufacturing and distributing disposable fuel cartridges for portable electronic devices. The fuel cell is analogous to a razor and the fuel cartridges to razor blades, and fuel cartridges represent a recurring revenue stream.”

DMFCC’s fuel cell cartridges are positioned to gain a substantial market share of a $3 Billion projected industry volume in portable electronics because they offer longer operating time as compared to current lithium ion batteries and may be instantaneously recharged by simply replacing the disposable fuel cartridge. Leading OEMs have announced that they are developing direct methanol fuel cells for portable electronic applications.

VIASPACE, originally founded in 1998 with the objective of transforming proven space and defense technologies from NASA and the Department of Defense into hardware and software solutions that solve today’s complex problems, VIASPACE benefits from important patent and software licenses from Caltech, which manages NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.VIASPACE.com, or contact for Investor Relations, Dr. Jan Vandersande, Director of Communications at 800-517-8050, or IR@VIASPACE.com.