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A patent lawyer friend of mine has a stock of entertaining and sometimes disturbing stories about his clients. Based on experience, he assumes that until proven otherwise, no matter how appealing and normal they may seem, every inventor is but a kook waiting to be revealed.

In many ways, Andrea Rossi seems to fit that profile. Mercurial and flamboyant, he is naturally prone to veer between garrulous over-promising and the secretiveness and suspicion common to inventors. The Italian science establishment did not believe Rossi so much as they believed his late partner, Sergio Focardi, a respected physicist and professor who had long pursued cold fusion and had published a peer-reviewed paper on the subject.

Focardi's passing deprived Rossi of the restraint and judgment of a senior partner. Fortunately, that role now seems to be filled by the North Carolina investment group who purchased the rights to Rossi's E-Cat. As securities and anti-fraud laws virtually require, Rossi apparently has to get any his statements pre-approved by counsel. Backed by deep pockets, technical help, and canny businessmen, Rossi now seems to be the leading contender to bring a practical cold fusion device to market.