IP In The Energy Transition: An Obstacle Or A Facilitator?

The Director of the US Patent and Trade Mark Office, Kathi Vidal, has described how important the US system of patent protection is to the development of a clean-energy future in an address to the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit (see the full address here). Ms Vidal wants the patent system to "power the new technologies aimed at the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions". With this in mind, the USPTO has introduced a Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program to provide a fast-track review of patent applications that cover a product or process that mitigates climate change.

This address is in contrast to recent comments made by the UN Secretary-General that "removing obstacles to knowledge sharing and technological transfer – including intellectual property constraints – is crucial for a rapid and fair renewable energy transition" and that "renewable energy technologies...must be treated as essential and freely-available global public goods" (see our report on this he