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01 October 2010

EU countries top world 'green patent' rankings

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While moves to develop an EU patent have intensified with the Belgian presidency, which believes it can reach a consensus by the end of the year, a new study shows that three European countries are among the six nations dominating innovation in the clean energy sector.
According to a comprehensive new study by the European Patent Office (EPO), Germany, France and the UK join Japan, the US and South Korea in leading the emerging green tech revolution, filing 80% of all patent applications in the field.

EPO Chief Benoît Battistelli said China, India and Brazil are catching up quickly and have ramped up their efforts in niche clean tech sectors. China is now the major player in the wind energy sector, despite having published very few patents in this industry until five years ago.

"In wind energy, China has gone from being nowhere five years ago to being the leading player globally. For India and Brazil, photovoltaic technology and hydropower are the major sources of patents," said Battistelli.

Political signal sparks green innovation

The study by the EPO, the UN Environment Programme, and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, reveals a surge in new patent applications in the clean energy sector following the Kyoto protocol.

Battistelli said political signals can help spur investment by industry in low-carbon technology, arguing that a future deal on climate mitigation could generate a new wave of innovation in the energy sector.

"The key message is that the policy and regulatory framework influences how businesses invest. In all environmental issues the market is decided by the regulatory framework. The market needs to be framed," he said.

Meanwhile, the Belgian presidency tabled a non-paper aimed at breaking the deadlock over proposals for a single EU-wide patent system.

The paper was discussed at the Competitiveness Council yesterday (30 September), where the majority of member states recognised the importance of an urgent solution and sided with the text drawn up by the European Commission at the end of June, reads a presidency statement. But a small minority of countries still had remarks concerning this text or formulated a counterproposal.

(EurActiv.com)

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