United Green Nations

The 4th OECD World Forum on "Statistics, Knowledge and Policy", 16-19 October 2012

nickyurchenko — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:56:39 GMT

The 4th OECD World Forum on "Statistics, Knowledge and Policy" will be taking place on 16-19 October 2012, in New Delhi, India.

The goal of the 4th OECD World Forum is to share results and lessons learned from work undertaken by the OECD and other organisations, as wellas to give impetus to concrete measurement programmes based on existing national and regional statistical capacities, mechanisms and tools.

Virgin Earth Challenge

nickyurchenko — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:30:36 GMT

The Virgin Earth Challenge (VEC) is the $25 million Global Science and Technology Prize
established by Sir Richard Branson and Al Gore in 2007.

The groups on the short list given below represent the best groups in the world seen by the VEC in the correponding areas:

Green Pacer: Sir Richard Branson

nickyurchenko — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:56:13 GMT

Sir Richard Branson is founder of the Virgin Group that, with its around 200 companies in over 30 countries, has now expanded into leisure, travel, tourism, mobile, broadband, TV, radio, music festivals, finance and health.

In February 2007, he has announced the Virgin Earth Challenge, the $25 million prize to encourage the viable technologies that will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases. Currently, through the Virgin Green Fund Sir Richard Branson with partners are investing in renewable energy and resource efficiency.

Can patent commons help?

nickyurchenko — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:22:20 GMT

Hall B.H., Helmers C. 2011. Innovation and diffusion of clean/green technology: Can patent commons help? National Bureau for Economic Research. Working Paper No.16920, p. 1-48

This paper explores the characteristics of 238 patents on 94 "inventions” contributed by major multinational innovators to the "Eco-Patent Commons”, which provides royalty free access to third parties to patented climate change related innovations. By comparing the pledged patents to other patents in the same technologies or held by the same multinationals, we investigate the motives of the contributing firms as well as the potential for such commons to encourage innovation and diffusion of climate change related technologies. This study, therefore, indirectly provides evidence on the role of patents in the development and diffusion of green technologies. More generally, the paper sheds light on the performance of hybrid forms of knowledge management that combine open innovation and patenting.

Eco Commons - Hall Helmers

What is patent commons?

nickyurchenko — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:38:19 GMT

The patent commons is one of the forms of corporate social responsibility that allows some commons (usually composeed of several companies) to create special conditions for its members to use patented and, in general case, non-patented technologies. By forming some patent commons, its members (and non-members) obtain free access to patents pledged by others, simultaneously with the opportunity to leverage this commons for its expansion, innovative and business development.

For comparison, see also about the patent pools, for example, by David Serafino, 2007.

Currently, the most known green patent commons are the Eco-Patent Commons (Eco-PC), GreenXchange (GX), Biological Open Source (BiOS) and some others.

Hall & Helmers (2011) discuss the advantages and disadvantages of green patent commons on an example of the Eco-Patent Commons. Matthew Rimmer (2011) does the same on the examples of the Eco-Patent Commons and GreenXchange, with their comparison.

4G Open Patent Alliance

nickyurchenko — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:48:55 GMT

Members of the WiMAX ecosystem have formed the Open Patent Alliance (OPA) in June 2008 with the primary
goal to foster global tools that will help ensure successful and broad adoptions of 4G wireless. The OPA accomplishes this goal by creating the fair, transparent and balanced IPR licensing structure (patent pool) to accelerate the global adoption of WiMAX, simultaneously fostering broader choice and lowering costs for WiMAX technologies.

Current OPA members include Acer, Alvarion, Cisco, Clearwire, Huawei Technologies, Intel Corporation and Samsung Electronics as well as newly announced associate members Beceem, GCT Semiconductor, Sequans and UQ Communications.

Biological Open Source (BiOS) Initiative

nickyurchenko — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:23:54 GMT

The Biological Open Source (BiOS) Initiative is fundamentally an effort to develop new innovation ecosystems
for disadvantaged communities and neglected priorities.The BiOS Initiative uses the communications tools
of the Internet and open source to generate open access to capabilities for innovation.

The BiOS is the legally enforceable framework to enable the sharing of the capability to use patented and non-patented technology, which may include materials and methods, within dynamically expanding group of those who all agree to the same principles of responsible sharing.

Richard Jefferson: civilization has been built on ‘open source’ for 4000 years...

nickyurchenko — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:56:09 GMT

According to molecular biologist Richard Jefferson, civilization has been built on ‘open source’ for 4000 years... ‘but it wasn’t with software, it was with plants, it was with animals, it was with agriculture’. The founder of Brisbane-based technology non-profit Cambia, Jefferson is convinced that biotechnology can be used to benefit the impoverished, but if the innovation process is ‘democratized’ to allow inclusive access to critical scientific tools.

Cambia is named #86 among Top 100 Best NGO in the world by the Global Journal 2012.

The main Cambia's projects are: Initiative for Open Innovation, Patent Lens, Biological Open Source (BiOS) and CambiaLabs.

GreenXchange: partners collaboratory

nickyurchenko — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:32:04 GMT

On January 11, 2011, the GreenXchange held an in-person Collaboratory that included attendance by Brooks, Nike, New Balance, Oregon based non-profits, the University of Oregon, the University of Washington and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The focus of the meeting was on providing technical assistance to footwear companies licensing the environmentally preferred rubber (EPR) patent offered through the GreenXchange.

On origination of the GreenXchange

nickyurchenko — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:11:37 GMT

On February 10, 2009, Creative Commons in collaboration with Nike and Best Buy
have announced the new project named GreenXchange. The project allows to
explore how the digital commons can help holders of patents collaborate for sustainability.