On the question of “bringing IP together to do something new and significant” my answer, based upon the pitches I heard, is “no” which brings up a very interesting point in the context of the GreenXchange and its possibility for a meaningful, lasting contribution.

Because, while a few of the pitches that I heard had definitely done their homework regarding knowledge of the patent landscape and what they would need to license from others, as well as how they could become a force in asserting their own license, the premise always was starting with the customer need/market potential first and then filling in with whatever was needed to get the job done best after. In that respect, GreenXchange would serve as one of many locations where an entrepreneur could browse to see if there were patents they could pick up for “free” that would help their product.

But, to your point, I think the GreenXchange founders are hoping that one or more of their patents, when bundled together, may actually spawn new product ideas in their own right…sort of like picking up a shiny new widget, free of charge (but with some restrictions) that is already being used for its main purpose and wondering “what else can I make out of this?” It remains to be seen if this can actually work…just because you could make wallpaper out of Nike-patented “green” rubber doesn’t mean anyone would actually want to buy it.