[A2k] Re: Patent regimes and innovation in developing countries, request for comments

[Chris Watkins]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>
> we were called upon to advocate the
> strengthening of patent regimes in developing countries
>

Another obvious issue is cost - patents in most countries take a lot of tim=
e
and money and are out of the reach of most small and non-commercial
innovators.

Anil Gupta and his Honey Bee
network<http://www.sristi.org/hbnew/aboutus.php>are likely to have
some insights on patents - they support grassroots
innovators in India (and maybe elsewhere).

Chris

On Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 04:39, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004@gmail.com>wrot=
e:

> I'm forwarding this request to the open-manufacturing list, and in a
> separate message, to the p2p research list,
>
> Michel
>
> On Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 12:11 AM, Silke Helfrich <Silke.Helfrich@gmx.de>w=
rote:
>
>> Hello,
>> I received the e-mail below from the European Business Council on
>> Sustainable Energy, an organization I work with on the commons. They are
>> quite innovative (f.i. linking the energy debate with the open hardware
>> discussion). I don't dare to respond, since I am not an expert in the fi=
eld.
>> It would be great to get some advice from people who are better informed
>> than I am.
>> Some links and current data would help, in English and German, your
>> opinion as well, of course.
>>
>> Best regards and many thanks in advance
>> Silke Helfrich
>>
>>
>> Am Mittwoch, den 11.11.2009, 17:56 +0100 schrieb Julio Lambing:
>>
>> Dear Ms. Helfrich,
>>
>>
>> As you know, the European Business Council for Sustainable Energy is
>> concerned with the question how eco-innovation, carbon-neutral and clean
>> energy technologies can gain a foothold in developing countries.
>> Therefore, for some time past* we devote ourselves to initiating an Open=
**Source Hardware Initiative including a database for these technologies**w=
hich is to employ a model similar to the GNU (GPL) license.*
>> At one of our workshops, the representative of a major technology
>> company pointed out that in various structurally weak developing
>> countries there is no effective protection of "intellectual property".
>> Thus, ruthless trend scouts can spot innovative inventions in these
>> countries (e.g. in Afirca and make them available to companies
>> in industrialised and threshold countries without sharing the benefits
>> with the innovators. Therefore, we were called upon to advocate the
>> strengthening of patent regimes in developing countries (with financial
>> and juridical support by industrialised countries) in order to safeguard
>> a just compensation for these innovators or communities.
>>
>> We are no experts regarding the question if and how patent regimes are
>> effective in developing countries for local innovators and SMEs.
>> Therefore, we address you as an adept of the international discussion on
>> this topic.
>>
>> In general, for years there is a discussion on whether patents are an
>> obstacle or a catalyst for the transfer of climate-friendly
>> technologies. At the international climate negotiations, speakers from
>> developing countries deplore the role of patents as an obstacle to the
>> diffusion of climate-friendly technologies. We, as representatives of
>> companies providing these technologies, are sceptical. Most
>> carbon-neutral technologies are not patent relevant any longer, and
>> there are providers of these technologies from developing countries in
>> the market as well, so there is no monopoly. Furthermore, the main
>> obstacle for employing climate-friendly technologies in developing
>> countries are lack of investment capital and lack of know-how regarding
>> available technologies and their maintenance. Patent-related problems we
>> could only identify concerning corrosion protection for offshore
>> windparks, the second generation of biofuels, CCS technology and,
>> perhaps, some recent developments in the sphere of photovoltaics. We
>> represent a considerable number of green companies which fought long and
>> hard for their technologies and deem it unfair that, of all things,
>> these technologies are drawn into the patent debate -- in contrast to
>> those which polluted the Earth for decades. (Nevertheless, we deem it
>> important to further eco-innovation on a voluntary base employing a true
>> Open Source approach. Support, also financial support, would always be
>> welcome ;-)  )
>>
>> Innovative climate protection technologies will be sought-after economic
>> goods in the future. What is your estimate regarding the status quo of
>> the international discussion on the strengthening of patent regimes in
>> developing countries - or, rather, mechanisms for safeguarding
>> compensation for innovations like "access and benefit sharing (ABS)"
>> discussed in the biodiversity debate?
>>
>> Please feel free to forward these questions to other experts.
>> Thanks a lot for your help and best regards
>>
>> Julio Lambing
>>
>> Managing Director
>> e5 - European Business Council for Sustainable Energy
>>
>> Hauptstrasse 43
>> D-61184 Karben
>> Germany
>> Fon: +49 6039 9291958
>> Fax: +49 6039 9291961lambing@e5.org
>>
>>
>
>
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--
Chris Watkins

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