The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) announced yesterday that it has become a Partner in the international green-technology sharing platform, WIPO GREEN.
WIPO GREEN is an initiative of the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”)—one of 15 specialised agencies of the United Nations (“UN”).
WIPO aims to promote and protect intellectual property (“IP”) across the world by administering 26 international treaties that concern a wide variety of IP issues, and by activities including providing global services to register and protect IP, helping to connect IP systems through uniform standards and infrastructure, and by hosting forums to discuss and shape international IP rules and policies.
WIPO GREEN was established in 2013 as a free online marketplace to connect Green Technology Providers with Green Technology Seekers, supported by Partners. There are currently 146 Partners in the initiative, each committing to:
(1) Support and help achieve WIPO GREEN’s mission;
(2) Act as a regional or national green technology focal point and collaborate with WIPO GREEN to add value; and
(3) Amplify WIPO GREEN’s voice and visibility, with the aim to reach new stakeholders, facilitate collaboration, and accelerate investment in, and the diffusion of green technologies.
Current Partners include government institutions, intergovernmental organizations, academia, and companies including Canon Inc., Fujitsu Limited, General Electric, Hitachi Ltd, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., IBM, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Qualcomm, Ricoh Company Ltd., Shiseido Company Limited, Siemens, Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd, Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co. Ltd., Tokyo Moto Corporation, and Teijin Limited.
The WIPO GREEN database is a unique vehicle that supports WIPO’s global efforts to address climate change. It is a free, solutions-orientated, global innovation catalogue that aims to connect needs for solving environmental and climate change problems with sustainable solutions from all stages of development, from prototypes to marketable products.
Currently, the AI-assisted database identifies more than 120,000 technologies, needs and experts, and has more than 2000 registered users globally. Technology categories include Energy; Water; Farming & Forestry; Pollution & Waste; Transportation; Products, Materials & Processes; and
Building & Construction.
Green Technology Providers—including inventors and entrepreneurs—can list their products on the database and gain global visibility to help explore partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations, technology and knowledge transfers, financing, sale and licensing opportunities.
Green Technology Seekers—including investors—can use the database to publicise their needs and try to identify potential partners, new markets and solutions that meet their business needs.
All technologies identified in the database remain the property of the right holder. The database operates such that it is open to the right holder and collaborating entities to structure agreements and arrangements that are appropriate and effective in their particular circumstances. The initiative also goes so far as to provide illustrative initial guidance on licensing and IP strategy, although this is no substitute for expert advice from qualified IP lawyers and patent and trademark attorneys.
This blog post is brought to you by Draper & Draper LLC, a law firm devoted to international arbitration, resolution of natural resources and renewable energy disputes, climate change innovation and patents.