Rowow aims to develop commercially competitive open-source technologies for the common good, shared openly so the wider field can develop and properly integrate these innovations.
Draft v1.0 · request for commentOur approach
Three documents set out how we open our work, how we use patents, and how we release hazardous steps safely. Each is a public draft.
Open Technology Charter
Why and how we open our work.
Read →Patent Non-Assertion Pledge
Patents, used defensively. Draft
Read →Staged Disclosure Policy
Safety before the step-by-step.
Read →How it stays open and funds itself
The membrane, cells, and general methods. Released under CERN-OHL-S, free for everyone to use, sell, and improve, as long as improvements stay open.
Work specific to one client’s feedstock, site, or product. Licensed commercially, which funds development of the open core.
Patent portfolio
Ion exchange membrane
Open sourceUS application No. 19/531,984
Released openly under CERN-OHL-S and pledged to the commons. The low-cost recipe is public on GitHub.
Patent PDFGraphite electrode cap
Open source · proposedUS application No. 64/091,823
Pledged to CERN-OHL-S as a proposed draft. Open release of the design will follow our staged disclosure schedule.
Patent PDFPatent & disclosure status
Rowow LLC. Last updated 2026-06-18. The single public record of what we have proposed to pledge, what we are holding back, and where each item sits.
Pledged patents (proposed)
| Patent or application | Covers | Status | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| US app. No. 19/531,984 | Low-cost homogeneous ion exchange membrane and its process | Proposed 2026-06-18 | CERN-OHL-S |
| US app. No. 64/091,823 | Graphite electrode cap | Proposed 2026-06-18 | CERN-OHL-S |
Reserved patents, pending release
| Item | Status | Released when |
|---|---|---|
| None listed. | ||
Staged disclosure status
| Item | Tier | Status | Waiting on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ion exchange membrane recipe | Open | Released under CERN-OHL-S | none |
| General Safety Framework | Tier 0 | Drafted, pending review | safety-professional review |
| Process build guides and design files | Tier 1 | Staged | M2 per-process safety module |
| Keystone process inventions | Tier 2 | Held | M3 provisional, plus M1 and M2 |
Gates: M1 general safety, M2 per-process safety, M3 provisional on file, M4 system at Technology Readiness Level 8. Detail in the Staged Disclosure Policy.
Request for comment
These are public drafts. Help shape them.
We are sharing this early, before formal legal review, to gather feedback from the community it is meant to serve. Tell us what is unclear, what is missing, or what could be stronger.
Email rowow@rowow.net