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

Korean Intellectual Property Office 3 Transition to Sustainable Technological Regime 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 Rural Criticism 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

Korean Intellectual Property Office 4 Transition to Sustainable Technological Regime Appropriate Technology as a Sustainable Technological Niche –Local stewardship Needs provision tailored to local circumstances –Examples of Appropriate Technology Solar heat cooker Money maker Life straw Q-drum

Korean Intellectual Property Office 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

Korean Intellectual Property Office 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.

Korean Intellectual Property Office 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 approach Lack of water, agricultural problems, inadequate housing, and energy issues –Technology spillovers Flow of technology from outside to local people Limits of the AT movement –Lack of systematic approach: Highly dependent on individual engineers and volunteers

Korean Intellectual Property Office 8 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 system Opportunities 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

Korean Intellectual Property Office 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 force Patents in public domain Target area State-of-the-art 1 year20 yearexpired

Korean Intellectual Property Office 10 Opportunity Stemming from the Patent System Analyze the legal status of a patent Is it in the public domain? yes NO Utilize the whole technical aspects of patent information Analyze the technical aspects of the invention Design around the patent claims Detailed description of the invention claims Use the technolo gy of the invention Designing new device

Korean Intellectual Property Office 11 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

Korean Intellectual Property Office 12 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 Designing AT 1 2 Distribution of AT 3

Korean Intellectual Property Office 13 Korea’s Pilot Project Patent APatent BPatent C Patents in public domain Component a Component b Component c Component a Component c Component b

Korean Intellectual Property Office 14 Korea’s Pilot Project Patent DB search using Keywords Analysis of legal status Selection of patents applicable to AT Process in DB format

Korean Intellectual Property Office 15 Patent Information for Local Development Patent Information Legal status information Decision supporting information Technical information Just for R&D?

Korean Intellectual Property Office 16 We propose at the CDIP - The Use of Patent Information in the Transfer of Appropriate Technology Stage One: Dissemination of AT Information 1.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

Korean Intellectual Property Office 17 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

Korean Intellectual Property Office 18 Korean 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 Korean Intellectual Property Office Republic of Korea