How Patent Information Can Contribute to Sustainable Development

Intellectual property rights are an important driver of innovation and productivity in the knowledge-based economy. In particular, intellectual property rights in the form of patents may also be a valuable source of technical and scientific information and ideas on how to address environmental and health and safety concerns associated with industrial activity. In the network age, many smalland medium-sized enterprises in the resource sector, researchers, and government agencies concerned with resource development, have not taken full advantage of this unique and valuable source of information. * The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Health Canada, Industry Canada or the Government of Canada. Those seeking additional information about BIX should contact Mr. John Szabo at [email protected].