X-Message-Number: 6513 From: Brian Wowk <> Date: Fri, 12 Jul 1996 23:24:31 -0500 Subject: Technology Use Credits I agree that Prometheus technology should not be made available on a royalty-free basis to cryonics organizations (irrespective of their contribution level). I think that the Prometheus company should charge on a per-patient basis for all use of their technology. This should be done not only to protect the interests of investors, but to keep the company healthy and able to continue research to perfect suspended animation of the of the whole body. Instead of royalty-free access above a specific contribution level, I suggest the following: The Prometheus company agree to buy-back shares with "technology use credits." In other words, when a cryonics organization wishes to use Prometheus technology for a patient, they can pay by returning shares to Prometheus instead of paying royalities. Individual shareholders would have this same privilege. Advantages of this plan: * Investment in Prometheus effectively becomes payment toward your own cryonics arrangements. * Regardless of the financial success of the company, Prometheus shares will (once the technology becomes available) have an immediate market value in the cryonics community. The "technology use credits" they represent could help pay for the cryopreservation of yourself or loved ones, or be sold to other cryonicists at a market rate equal to the royalities they would otherwise have to pay. * This plan provides an enormous incentive to invest in Prometheus NOW. Those individuals and cryonics organizations who do not invest will have to ask themselves whether they will be able to afford this technology at full market rates later. It goes without saying that the royalities and "technology use credits" per share will be set so that paying royalties later will be much more expensive than purchasing shares now. * This plan is, above all, equitable. It acknowledges that those people who step forward today to help make this technology a reality deserve affordable access to it. Conversely, those who stay on the sidelines hoping to benefit from a "tragedy of the commons" scenario, will in fact NOT benefit. *************************************************************************** Brian Wowk CryoCare Foundation 1-800-TOP-CARE President Human Cryopreservation Services http://www.cryocare.org/cryocare/ Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6513