Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Law
Green Technology Diffusion: A Post-Mortem Analysis Of The Eco-Patent Commons, Jorge L. Contreras, Bronwyn H. Hall, Christian Helmers
Green Technology Diffusion: A Post-Mortem Analysis Of The Eco-Patent Commons, Jorge L. Contreras, Bronwyn H. Hall, Christian Helmers
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
We revisit the effect of the “Eco-Patent Commons” (EcoPC) on the diffusion of patented environmentally friendly technologies following its discontinuation in 2016, using both participant survey and data analytic evidence. Established in January 2008 by several large multinational companies, the not-for-profit initiative provided royalty-free access to 248 patents covering 94 “green” inventions. Hall and Helmers (2013) suggested that the patents pledged to the commons had the potential to encourage the diffusion of valuable environmentally friendly technologies. Our updated results now show that the commons did not increase the diffusion of pledged inventions, and that the EcoPC suffered from several structural …
Pledging Patents For The Public Good: Rise And Fall Of The Eco-Patent Commons, Jorge L. Contreras, Bronwyn H. Hall, Christian Helmers
Pledging Patents For The Public Good: Rise And Fall Of The Eco-Patent Commons, Jorge L. Contreras, Bronwyn H. Hall, Christian Helmers
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
Commons and pledge structures have been used to achieve various goals of patent holders, including the advancement of social and philanthropic aims. The article analyzes the formation and structure of a widely acclaimed effort to pool patents for the promotion of green/clean technologies – the Eco-Patent Commons (EcoPC) – as well as its actual impact on technology diffusion and the factors leading to its demise in 2016. We combine quantitative econometric techniques with qualitative interviews to paint the most complete picture of this innovative and ambitious effort to date. Our quantitative results show that the patents contributed to the EcoPC …