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• Song Name: Ian Harvey - IP Rights - Catalyst or inhibitor to a low carbon future?
• Artist: The Research and Development Society
• Album: The R and D Society's podcasts
• Year: 2008

Intellectual Property Rights – Catalyst or inhibitor to a low carbon future?
Ian Harvey, Chairman, Intellectual Property Institute
Monday 13 October 2008

The current public view of Intellectual Property (IP) is predominantly negative, as shown by recent Intellectual Property Institute research on the global discourse about IP. Many in the environmental movement reflect this and view IP as an impediment to the invention, development, adoption and diffusion of new technologies.

The talk will cover the linkages between invention, patents and economic growth and explore the IP issues that are often seen to be negative. The arguments for IP being least-worst route to the rapid development and deployment of low carbon technologies are equally applicable to most other technology areas. Finally, what are the key IP issues in the run-up to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in November 2009?

Related reading is available at http://www.rdsoc.org/08L7.html