A SENIOR legal adviser to the renewables sector has called on the government to take the lead in creating an intellectual property (IP) pool, to strengthen the international competitiveness of Scottish companies.
The proposed initiative would bring together the innovations of individual companies in ‘green patent pools’, using the widely acclaimed 3G mobile telephone technology model as its blueprint.
Alison Bryce, a partner and IP and technology specialist with law firm Maclay, Murray & Spens, says Scotland has a short window of opportunity to secure its place at the forefront of the renewables market, but only if there is a concerted drive to pool the knowledge.
“The sector is poised for significant growth but with competition intensifying, we need to cut the time to reach the market,” she says.
“Patent pools offer advantages for everyone involved in the process and the licensing process is far more time and cost-effective.
“By pooling and collectively managing these technologies, we can more easily facilitate licensing and cross-licensing, and create a real, competitive advantage.”
Ms Bryce points out, and Energy agrees, that the ability of Scotland’s academic and research and development communities to commercialise breakthroughs has been a long-running challenge.
Under the proposed green pools, she says patent owners would agree licensing terms in advance, simplifying the process of taking licensed technologies to the market, so putting technology to use faster than otherwise would have been the case.
Ms Bryce adds: “The telecommunications market has benefited greatly from the 3G patent pool, with the 3G standard now ubiquitous across the world. This sector has proved that it is possible to safeguard innovation and competition within a framework where IP is pooled.
“There is no reason why a similar approach could not be taken to renewables. Patents that are required to maximise efficiency of energy production in the case of each different type of renewable energy source could be usefully pooled.
“Scotland’s devolved government and our emerging renewables industry should now take the initiative to develop a model or models which could firmly put this sector on the world map for generations to come.”
