The current public view of Intellectual Property (IP) is predominantly negative, as shown by recent Intellectual Property Institute research on the global discourse about IP. Many in the environmental movement reflect this and view IP as an impediment to the invention, development, adoption and diffusion of new technologies.

The talk will cover the linkages between invention, patents and economic growth and explore the IP issues that are often seen to be negative. The arguments for IP being least-worst route to the rapid development and deployment of low carbon technologies are equally applicable to most other technology areas. Finally, what are the key IP issues in the run-up to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in November 2009?

Biography

Ian Harvey became Chairman of the Intellectual Property Institute in 1999. Prior to that, he was Chief Executive Officer of BTG plc from 1985 until his retirement in late 2004. During that time he oversaw the privatisation of BTG in 1992, its public flotation in 1995, a demerger of part of its business and three Rights Issues amounting to about £170 million to raise development capital from its shareholders. BTG was the world-leading technology commercialisation company which had been patenting and licensing globally since the early 1950’s.

He is also: Adjunct Professor at the Tanaka Business School, Imperial College, London; Advisor to NTEM, Tianjin, China; and, a Fellow of the University of Nottingham. He is a Member of: the Industry Advisory Board, Center for IP Studies (CIP) Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg University; the Board of London Bioscience Innovation Centre; and, the Advisory Board – International Intellectual Property Institute, Washington DC. He has an honorary Doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton.

He has been a student for many years of the history and trends of global invention and technology development and the related role of IP. He has written many articles and book chapters and lectures widely on global intellectual property and technology issues, particularly as they relate to business. He is currently involved with the development of intellectual property in China.