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Chris S. Israel is a senior research fellow with the Institute for Policy Innovation and a managing partner with PCT Government Relations. Israel was named as the first U.S. coordinator for international intellectual property enforcement by President Bush in July 2005 and was responsible for directing government efforts to protect U.S. IP at home and abroad. The Institute for Policy Innovation is a 20-year-old nonprofit think tank based in Dallas that favors free market approaches to public policy, especially in the areas of intellectual property, tax policy, entitlement reform, technology policy and health care.
A huge, multipronged effort is underway worldwide to develop alternative energies, more efficient use of energy and cleaner burning of carbon fuels such as coal and oil. Not surprisingly, most of the research and advances are coming from the United States and parts of Europe and Asia. Just as predictable and understandable is the push by developing countries to share this technology in an affordable way.
"This dilemma is already playing out as Chinese officials, who have resisted calls to place binding caps on their greenhouse gas emissions, have argued that IP protections are making clean energy technologies too expensive for developing countries," writes Chris Israel, who under President Bush directed efforts to protect intellectual property here and abroad. He says it makes sense to spread green energy technology and techniques to rapidly industrializing countries that have yet to make conservation and global warming as quickly as possible, but warns that infringing on the intellectual property rights of inventors and investors could backfire and stifle innovation.
"The immediate outcome is alluring, but the long-term impact unappealing. The major investments in research and development that are being made will continue to grow and produce important breakthroughs ONLY if the ability to protect these investments is respected," says Israel, now a senior research fellow with the Institute for Policy Innovation in Dallas. He suggests a push to scrap tariffs on technologies useful in the fight against global warming. Patent officials worldwide should be trained in handling these complicated technologies because, he says, "this will get invention to the marketplace faster and now is the time to focus on issuing quality patents that recognize true innovation."
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