The Rise of Public–Private Partnerships in Green Technologies and the Role of Intellectual Property Rights

Abstract

While public private partnerships (PPPs) have acquired greater importance in addressing global challenges in general, and particularly in public health, they have received relatively little attention in relation to green technologies. This chapter examines how the multilateral regimes governing climate change and sustainable development not only recognise the role of PPPs, but also, increasingly, seek to enhance their contribution to global efforts to accelerate technology diffusion and innovation in green technologies. It also considers how PPPs in green technologies have sought to approach IP matters in a pragmatic manner that stands in contrast to the general stalemate which has characterised in recent years the related debates on intellectual property rights (IPRs) at the multilateral level. The chapter analyses examples of PPPs at the multilateral level (WIPO GREEN) as well as at the bilateral level (the US–China Clean Energy Research Center and the US–India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy).