What makes companies who zealously guard their hard-earned patents and trademarks release these for use by the public, free of charge? Inviting customers and competitors alike to use these patents, improve upon them and earn big bucks? ?A desire to protect the environment? is what tech major IBM says. IBM, along with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), is spearheading the Eco-Patents Common, unleashing dozens of innovative, environmentally-responsible patents in the public domain.
Already, companies like Nokia, Pitney Bowes and Sony have joined the initiative, pledging several patents for the cause. The pledged portfolio, dubbed the Eco-Patents Common, is available on http://www.wbcsd.org/web/epc. These pledged patents feature innovations in manufacturing or business processes, where the solution provides an environmental benefit. This could be for energy conservation, fuel efficiency, pollution prevention, use of eco-friendly materials, or recycling technologies. ?The Eco-Patent Commons offers a framework to develop and make available technology that helps combat climate change and reduce the release of carbon dioxide,? says Angelo Chaclas, vice-president and deputy general counsel, intellectual property and technology law at Pitney Bowes, a technology company.
Eco-Patents Commons ? philanthropy or business? While the Eco-Patent Commons clearly has an important philanthropic aspect, its benefits to the businesses pledging patents goes beyond philanthropy. By forming a Commons, members and non-members obtain free access to patents pledged by others. They also have the opportunity to leverage the Commons to further innovate and establish business relationships with those that have similar interests. Points out Bjorn Stigson, president, WBCSD: ?The Eco-Patents Commons provides an opportunity for companies to identify areas of common interest and establish new relationships that can lead to further development in the patented technologies.?
For cell phone major Nokia, this was an opportunity to think differently on how to make, consume and recycle products. ?We have pledged a patent designed to help companies safely re-use old cell phones by transforming them into new products like digital cameras, data monitoring devices or other electronic items,? says Nokia?s director of intellectual property, Donal O?Connell. Given that new cell phone models hit the market every few months, this could mean increased reuse of cell phone parts that may have gone obsolete, he explains.
While IBM has contributed 27 patents, Nokia has pledged one, Pitney Bowes two, and Sony one. For instance, one patent that IBM has pledged can be used to clean a variety of surfaces, such as television screens, camera optics, eyeglasses and contact lenses more effectively during manufacturing and with less waste than typical liquid-based systems. ?IBM inventors figured out a way to use high-energy lasers to produce ozone gases within a contained chamber, which are then used to clean semiconductor wafers.
In the manufacturing process, generating ozone from laser beams is more precise and energy efficient than shipping and using liquid cleaning solutions. The ozone gases are also environmentally preferable in that they produce minimal waste products and any exhausted ozone can be easily removed from the exhaust stream,? explains Dr Daniel Dias, director, IBM India Research Laboratory. Another patent offered by IBM can be used to reduce emissions from factories and cars.
But what would make corporates, who invest thousands of dollars in R&D, give away their prized possessions? After all, anybody, even a competitor, can adopt the apparatus or methods outlined in the patent to lessen their impact on the environment, or use the ideas contained in the patent to create new innovations that do the same.
Companies have a responsibility to operate in a manner that reduces impact on the environment, says IBM. ?We are contributing patents whose value is better realised by the public benefit through the Commons than through traditional patent monetisation. In other instances too IBM has foregone patent royalties for a vital public purpose. For example, we have made similar pledges to promote open standards efforts in the healthcare and education industries. To the extent that IBM and others agree not to assert some patents in such important fields, we believe IBM, the public, and others in the field will benefit,? explains Dr Dias. The Eco-Patent Commons was originally proposed at one of IBM?s Global Innovation Outlook (GIO) events to discuss business and social challenges.
Agrees Hidemi Tomita, general manager, corporate social responsibility, Sony Corporation: ?It is time for business to join efforts rather than tackling the issue alone.? Such exchange of intellectual property can accelerate work on the next level of environmental challenges, add experts. Says the WBCSD, ?Experience has shown that free exchange of intellectual property fosters innovation by allowing new players in and freeing resources to work on other problems and improvements ? working on the gear rather than reinventing the wheel.? Thus the Commons will also provide an opportunity for businesses to identify
common areas of interest and establish new collaborative development efforts.