How to develop a cleantech IP strategy – key
considerations
All businesses should have an intellectual
property1(IP)2 strategy that reflects the
prevailing business issues. The cleantech sector is no exception,
particularly taking into account the number of diverse industries
involved and the trend towards convergence of technologies and
sectors. This article examines some key considerations when
developing a cleantech IP strategy.
Established Technologies
The cleantech sector is already well established and has seen a
lot of R&D over the past 10 years. With R&D comes heavy
patenting activity. This has certain IP implications:
- It is critical to conduct freedom-to-operate searching
early in the R&D project to ensure third party rights
are not infringed. There may also be key patents in fields that are
converging with your core technology that you may need to access
before you can launch a commercially viable product.
