Mills says he's going to back up his filings with the patent office with more than 40 reports and publications, and he may request that the National Institute of Science and Technology test his prototype technologies. And some of BlackLight's backers say they're offended when portrayed as dupes or coconspirators. I thought we were safe on the latter until this started to unfold. Along with PacifiCorp, electric utility Conectiv has invested in BlackLight. Tyco International inherited a sliver stake in the company through its purchase of Amp Incorporated, a leading producer of electrical connectors.
Individual backers are among the Who's Who of the business establishment.
They include a former chairman of Morgan Stanley and a former president of PaineWebber. Board members include Dr. Shelby Brewer, a former top Department of Energy nuclear official, and Aris Melissaratos, former director of Westinghouse's Science and Technology Center. So while BlackLight doesn't have the resources of the entire physics establishment, it has more pull than most start-ups. Its travails at the patent office have even attracted attention on Capitol Hill. Responding to evidence presented by allies of BlackLight, senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Max Cleland of Georgia say they want to know if an American Physical Society colleague of Park's at the State Department messed with Mills's application.