Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the Africa Policy Research Institute examines the role of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in accelerating the transfer and adoption of green technologies (greentech) across Africa. It argues that while patents are often prohibitively expensive for local innovators, non-patent IPR—such as utility models, trademarks, and geographical indications—can drive incremental innovation and job creation. The document analyzes the IPR landscapes of Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria, highlighting the gap between high-level regional strategies (like AfCFTA and the AU Green Recovery Action Plan) and the practical, detailed IPR mechanisms needed to scale green businesses.

This background paper, prepared by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) for a 2008 seminar in Copenhagen, examines the complex relationship between intellectual property (IP) rights and the transfer of climate-related technologies. It analyzes how IP can act as both an incentive for innovation and a barrier to the diffusion of technology, specifically exploring the role of the WTO TRIPS Agreement and the UNFCCC framework in facilitating the transition to a low-carbon economy.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the potential conflicts and synergies between the WTO's TRIPS Agreement on intellectual property and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It analyzes how patent laws regarding biological resources, technology transfer, and traditional knowledge intersect with national sovereignty and the goal of equitable benefit sharing.

This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) examines the review of Article 27.3(b) of the TRIPS Agreement. It argues that strong intellectual property (IP) protections over life-forms may hinder development in developing countries by restricting innovation, increasing market concentration, and conflicting with the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

This joint discussion paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and WWF International examines the tensions between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). It analyzes how intellectual property rights (IPRs) can hinder the CBD's goals regarding benefit sharing, traditional knowledge, and technology transfer, and provides a set of international and national recommendations to harmonize these legal frameworks.

This research paper examines the intersection of international intellectual property (IP) rights, global trade, economic development, and environmental protection. It analyzes how IP regimes—specifically patents, copyrights, and trademarks—impact the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and the conservation of biological diversity, focusing on the tensions between industrialized nations (led by the US) and developing countries within frameworks like GATT, NAFTA, and the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).