Billions of dollars of patented technology goes unused each year by U.S. companies, but Patentdonors will allow them to donate the patents to universities and help raise money for a Detroit program that puts computers in the hands of disadvantaged youth.

About 60 percent of technology patents owned by U.S. companies are not used, said Colette MacNeil, senior program director of Patentdonors.

Companies pay a $2,750 fee to list a patent on the site. Universities sign up for free memberships which allow them to search for patents that might be helpful in their own research. First come, first served.

It's all done anonymously. Neither the donating company nor the accepting university is named on the site nor are they revealed to each other. The deal is handled through National City Bank which acts as an escrow agent.

General Motors Corp. has intentionally downplayed its presence on the Web site so as not to overpower the message, but the automaker is the force behind it, providing people and resources, MacNeil said.

GM has identified at least 35 patents it is considering for donation said MacNeil, who works in GM's e-commerce unit, eGM. She has been "on loan" for two years to help support Think Detroit and launch Patentdonors.

If a patent is chosen by a university, the donating company pays an additional fee of 1.5 to 2.5 percent of the patent's value, but also can write off 35 percent of the patent's value from its taxes as a donation, MacNeil said.

Values range from about $5 million for a single patent to $15 million for a cluster of patents that are useless individually, MacNeil said.

The fees are then donated to a program called Think Detroit, which operates a computer training program for Detroit high school students, most of which are from low-income families.

Students learn to service and operate computers, use the Internet and send and receive e-mail. Any student that does not own a computer is given a refurbished unit.

Think Detroit also runs a sports program aimed at pride and character building.

Patentdonors.com hopes to pull in at least $1 million in fees the first year, which would almost equal Think Detroit's annual budget of $1.6 million, MacNeil said.

"We would be ecstatic," said Dan Varner, Think Detroit chief operating officer. "It would be a huge resource for this program."

He estimated the program could increase its computer giveaway program from about 500 a year to perhaps 900.

Letters were scheduled to be mailed Friday to at least 1,000 of the world's major companies inviting them to participate in the program.

MacNeil expected it would take several months before activity on the Web site would ramp up completely as companies and universities learn about it and consider whether to participate.