program for disseminating patent information for rural development - proposal by the republic of...

Program for Disseminating Patent Information for Rural Development

- Proposal by the Republic of Korea-

Eun Kyul PARK

Deputy Director, Multilateral Affairs Division, Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO)

Republic of Korea

October 14, 2009

Korean Intellectual Property Office

2

Transition to Sustainable Technological Regime

Technological regime– A set of ‘rules of the game’– Each technological regime is constituted by an accumulation of

knowledge, values, and sunk investment– And is articulated by networks of actors and institutions

The role of innovative technological niches– Seedbeds for the emergence of new regimes– Niches can transform regimes by growing and displacing more

of the incumbent regime activities

Incumbent technological regime

New technological regime

Technological niche


3


From unsustainable regime to sustainable regime– Human basic needs

State-of-the-art technology may not be the optimal solution for the quality of life in areas of the world where the struggle for survival remains a top priority

– Gap between the Center and the RuralCriticism that industrialization and modernization increases the gap

between the center and rural part of a country

Sustainable technological niches– Niches that lead to a sustainable technological regime

Unsustainable technological regime

Sustainable technological regime

Sustainable technological niche


4


Appropriate Technology as a Sustainable Technological Niche– Local stewardship

Needs provision tailored to local circumstances– Examples of Appropriate Technology

Solar heat cookerMoney makerLife strawQ-drum


5

The AT Movement Activities

Design for the Other 90%– 90% of the world’s total population have little or no access

to most of the products and services that many of us take for granted

– A growing movement among designers to design low-cost solutions for this “other 90%”

Volunteers for International Technical Assistance (VITA) – Problem Solving Approach vs. modernization theory

– Practical approach vs. politically charged 70’s “appropriate-technology” movement


6

The AT Movement Activities

UNDP China example– Four year project, "Alleviating Rural Poverty through

Innovative Technologies Transfer" is designed to link farmers with innovative, environmentally-friendly technologies in order to increase their income and promote sustainable rural development

– Technical Task Forces (TTFs) that will not only introduce better technologies to farmers but also innovative organizational methods for farmers to receive tailor-made technological services to increase their income.


7

Lessons from the AT Movement

Successful Elements of the AT movement– Affordable technology for the local people

Technology that is not highly depend on fuel energy, electricity but can be sourced from the locally available resources

Technology that is easy to use, repair, and maintain by the own hand of local people

– Problem solving approachLack of water, agricultural problems, inadequate housing, and energy

issues

– Technology spilloversFlow of technology from outside to local people

Limits of the AT movement– Lack of systematic approach: Highly dependent on individual

engineers and volunteers


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Opportunity for the Intellectual Property Community

The role of patent information in technology transfer (source: WIPO lecture material)

– Transfer of technology by knowledge spillovers, legal copying and reverse engineering may be much greater than by formal methods

– Much of this technology is disclosed via the patent systemOpportunities for exploiting patent information (source: WIPO lecture material)

– A patent is territorial, but disclosure is global– Patents are limited in time– The scope of the patent is limited by its claims– Patents gives the owners a right to prevent others from

carrying out the invention but not from learning from the invention


9

Opportunity Stemming from the Patent System

Patent system (patent information) as a solution database– Approx. 900,000 new patent families filed in 2005(source

WIPO)

– Almost all possible technical ideas can be extracted from patent database

Patents in forcePatents in public domain

Target areaState-of-the-art

1 year20 yearexpired


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Opportunity Stemming from the Patent System

Analyze the legal status of a patent

Is it in the public

domain?

Is it in the public

domain?

yesyes

NO

Utilize the whole technical aspects of patent information

Analyze the technical aspects of the

invention

Analyze the technical aspects of the

invention

Design around

the patent claims

Detailed description of the

invention

claims

Use the technology of the invention

Designing new device


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Policy Implications for the IP Community

Explore the Merits of the AT movement

Affordable technology for the local people

Consideration of the socio-technical environment

Problem solving approach Needs-based approach

Technology spillovers Use of patent information

Overcome the Limits of the AT movement

Lack of systematic approach Systematical organization of patent information on AT


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Korea’s Pilot Project

• questionnaire

• consulting mission

• request from

communities

• research

• utilize other AT

source?

(ex) appropedia.org

• design for the other

90%

• research

• utilize other AT

source?

(ex) appropedia.org

• design for the other

90%

• social enterprise

• through NGO

• Gov. and

international

organization

Technological needs

Technological needs Designing ATDesigning AT

1 2 Distribution of AT

Distribution of AT

3


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Patent A Patent B Patent C

Patents in public domainPatents in public domain

Component aComponent a Component bComponent b Component cComponent c

Component a

Component a

Component c

Component c

Component b

Component b


14


Patent DB search using KeywordsPatent DB search using Keywords

Analysis of legal statusAnalysis of legal status

Selection of patents applicable to ATSelection of patents applicable to AT

Process in DB formatProcess in DB format


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Patent Information for Local Development

Patent InformationLegal status information

Decision supporting information

Technical information

Just for R&D?


16

We propose at the CDIP- The Use of Patent Information in the Transfer of Appropriate Technology

Stage One: Dissemination of AT Information1. Problem identification process

technological needs in rural areas Identified by expert mission, country request, technology

support task force (TSTF)

2. Collection of AT Information Collect problem related technological information from a

patent database

3. Transformation of AT information Convert patent information into appropriate technology

format, considering socio-technical environment

4. Accumulation and Dissemination Accumulate AT information and disseminate to whom need


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We propose at the CDIP The Use of Patent Information in the Transfer of Appropriate Technology of Appropriate Technolog

Stage Two: Support for the Implementation of AT

– Network with Enterprises and other International Organizations Projects• Workshop on the utilization of patent information on

appropriate technologies to be organized for enterprises• Patent information on appropriate technologies can be

utilized in projects funded by other international organizations or donors


18Korean Intellectual Property

Office

Relevance to the Development Agenda

Recommendation 31: To undertake initiatives agreed by Member States, which contribute to transfer of technology to developing countries, such as requesting WIPO to facilitate better access to publicly available patent information.

Impacts of the project for transfer of technology to developing countries– The project will facilitate better access by NGOs, enterprises &

researchers to publicly available patent information on appropriate technologies and their implementation of such technologies

As such, the project will contribute to the implementation of the Development Agenda

Thank You!

Eun Kyul PARK


Republic of Korea

82-42-481-8604

[email protected]

program for disseminating patent information for rural development - proposal by the republic of...

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