Sustainability and Intellectual Property in Switzerland

With respect to sustainable development, Intellectual Property can represent either a critical incentive or a hindrance to innovation and creativity. However, the purpose of this report is to go beyond the positions of principle and to underline the current and prospective Intellectual Property protection and uses that would create positive impact to achieve sustainability. The role of Intellectual Property in sustainable development shall therefore be global: tackling challenges in relation to biodiversity, traditional knowledge, climate change, transfer of clean technologies, agrobiotechnology and food security shall be the focus. This contribution aims at discussing the role of Intellectual Property regulations and/or other measures taken or proposed in Switzerland to encourage sustainable enterprises and innovations. We will provide an overview of the different Intellectual Property rights protected under Swiss law and their respective/current role in sustainability (Sect. 20.2) as well as of the measures and initiatives leading to cooperation, transfer of technology or knowledge offered in Switzerland (Sect. 20.3). Overall, if there is still room for improvement, Switzerland and the Swiss Intellectual Property Office have undertaken effective steps to implement and contribute to the realisation of the sustainable development goals, especially by encouraging the dissemination of innovation and knowledge.