Innovation and Diffusion of Clean/Green Technology: Can Patent Commons Help?

Bronwyn Hall and Christian Helmers (christian.r.helmers@gmail.com)

No 16920, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: 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.

JEL-codes: H23 H42 K11 O33 O34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse, nep-ene, nep-env, nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-pr~, nep-sbm and nep-tid
Note: EEE PR
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Published as Hall, Bronwyn H. & Helmers, Christian, 2013. "Innovation and diffusion of clean/green technology: Can patent commons help?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 33-51.

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.nber.org/papers/w16920.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Innovation and diffusion of clean/green technology: Can patent commons help? (2013)
Working Paper: Innovation and diffusion of clean/green technology: Can patent commons help? (2011)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nbr:nberwo:16920

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
http://www.nber.org/papers/w16920

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by (wpc@nber.org).