Patents and the deployment and dissemination of technology

Technology is predominately exchanged and transferred among the industrially developed countries, according to a survey of licensing practices among leading actors in the clean energy sector. Outside the industrialised block, the main beneficiaries of technology transfer have been the fast-growing economies of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), with China topping the list.

These are some of the first findings of a joint study, conducted by the EPO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), to gain a better understanding of the role played by patents in the deployment and dissemination of these technologies in developing countries.

A full report on the findings is not due until the first half of 2010, but the study has already yielded important insights, evidence and data which could better inform policymaking.

“Innovative solutions are urgently needed to tackle climate change,” says EPO President Alison Brimelow. “This study will take a hard look at how patents are used by innovators around the world. It will help technology experts and policymakers alike to find ways in which the system can be better harnessed to promote the development and deployment of clean energy technologies,” she explains.

“The study will present an analysis of brand new data on patenting and licensing trends in climate change technologies,” says ICTSD Chief Executive Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz. "It is essential to address the gap in evidence in this area to better inform discussions and support efforts to enhance the transfer and dissemination of technologies to combat climate change, particularly to developing countries.”

Initial results of patent landscaping in the area of energy generation show that, over the past few years, there has been a marked increase in patenting activity in clean energy technologies as compared to those using fossil fuel energy. In particular, recent years have seen a rapid growth in wind power, solar photovoltaic (but not thermal) and CO₂ capture and storage technologies. Notably, the number of patents in these areas increased appreciably after the Kyoto Agreement was signed. The patenting activity in all relevant technologies appears to be dominated by Japan, the US, Germany, Korea, the UK and France.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, says, "A convincing deal in Copenhagen can assist in catalysing a clean-tech revolution as part of the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient 21st century green economy. The challenge emerging is to make sure clean tech is not the luxury of the developed world, but a sustainable development opportunity for all economies, rich and poor".