This half-day interactive program brought together a diverse group of intellectual property (IP) stakeholders and government officials engaged in wide-ranging discussions on incentivizing, protecting, and commercializing climate-related innovations.
The program featured leaders of the world’s five largest IP offices—the IP5—as well as representatives from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), industry, and the local Hawaiian innovation community. It included sessions on:
- Perspectives on climate change from the IP5 offices, an in-depth discussion of the IP5 offices’ initiatives to encourage patent filings in climate technologies, streamline examination, and undertake eco-friendly efforts, such as paperless filing and energy efficiency.
- Perspectives on bringing climate-related innovation to market, where representatives of industry, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and local start-ups describe what it takes to bring climate change technologies from research to the marketplace.
- Perspectives on the challenges in climate-related innovation, a discussion of IP-related challenges faced by underrepresented groups and the specific needs of SMEs and startups in this space.
Scheduled presenters were:
- Mr. Antonio Campinos, President of the European Patent Office
- Mr. Hamano Koichi, Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office
- Dr. Lee Insil, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office
- Dr. Shen Changyu, Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration
- Ms. Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
This public program immediately preceded the 16th annual meeting of the IP5 Heads of Office, which was hosted by the USPTO in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 14. The IP5 offices—the European Patent Office, the Japan Patent Office, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the China National IP Administration, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)—are the five largest patent offices in the world. The theme for this year’s IP5 Heads of Office meeting was “Addressing climate change through an accessible and inclusive IP system,” with a focus on the importance of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
A video of this event is now available.
Agenda
Agenda subject to change
Event will be held in Kona Moku Ballroom
8:30 – 8:35 a.m. Welcome Remarks
- Ms. Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
8:35 – 8:40 a.m. Keynote Address
- The Honorable Mazie Hirono, United States Senator, Hawai’i (Pre-recording)
8:40 – 9:30 a.m. Session 1: IP5 Offices’ Perspectives on Climate Change Innovation
Facilitator:
- Ms. Lisa Jorgenson, Deputy Director General, Patents and Technology Sector, World Intellectual Property Organization
Presenters:
- Mr. António Campinos, President, European Patent Office
- Mr. Hamano Koichi, Commissioner, Japan Patent Office
- Dr. Lee Insil, Commissioner, Korean Intellectual Property Office
- Dr. Shen Changyu, Commissioner, China National Intellectual Property Administration
- Ms. Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
9:30 – 9:40 a.m. Listening Session A
Shifted Energy was created to enable widespread access to energy solutions. The company creates scalable solutions for low income residents, beginning with a low-cost control service for an asset which can be found in every home: water heaters. Shifted Energy has since expanded its analytical and control capabilities to cover a growing pool of assets and services while maintaining a consistent focus: enabling everyone to participate in the energy transition.
Presenter:
- Mr. Forest Frizzell, CEO and Co-founder, Shifted Energy
9:40 – 10:30 a.m. Session 2: Stakeholder perspectives: Bringing climate-related innovation to the market
Facilitator:
- Ms. Laura Sheridan, Head of Patent Policy, Google LLC
Panelists:
- Mr. Forest Frizzell, CEO and Co-founder, Shifted Energy
- Mr. Donavan Kealoha, Managing Director, Startup Capital Ventures x SBI
- Ms. Han Guo, Intellectual Property Manager, GREE Electric Appliances Inc. of Zhuhai
- Mr. Wayne MacKenzie, Technology Transfer Program Manager, Technology Partnership Office, NOAA
- Ms. Alexia Akbay, CEO Symbrosia Inc.
10:30 – 10:40 a.m. Session 2 Q&A
10:40 – 10:50 a.m. Coffee/Break
10:50 – 11:00 a.m. Listening Session B
Mr. Olin Lagon, a Native Hawaiian social entrepreneur, has invented numerous technologies that have been used by millions internationally across multiple industries. He will share real world intellectual property insights on growing concepts to international deployments rooted in social ventures, including his latest venture that tackles the energy inequity in climate-related technologies.
Presenter:
- Mr. Olin Kealoha Lagon, CTO and Co-Founder, Shifted Energy
11:00 – 11:50 a.m. Session 3: Stakeholder perspectives: Challenges in climate-related innovation
Facilitator:
- Mr. Wayne MacKenzie, Technology Transfer Program Manager, Technology Partnership Office, NOAA
Panelists:
- Mr. Olin Kealoha Lagon, CTO and Co-Founder, Shifted Energy
- Mr. Steve Auerbach, Interim Director, Office of Innovation and Commercialization, University of Hawaii
- Ms. Danya Hakeem, Managing Director, Portfolio, Elemental Excelerator
- Ms. Ikuko Shimogawara, Expert of Technology Planning Division, Toshiba
11:50 a.m. – Noon Session 3 Q&A
Noon – 12:30 p.m. Session 4: Final Takeaways
Discussants:
- Ms. Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
- Mr. Brian Batzli, President, American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Mr. Dan Staudt, Immediate Past President, Intellectual Property Owners Association
Additional information
For more information, visit the registration page or contact Hollis.Robinson@uspto.gov in the USPTO’s Office of Policy and International Affairs.
This virtual program is hosted by the USPTO’s Global Intellectual Property Academy, a unit of the USPTO’s Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA). The office advises the administration and other federal government departments and agencies on domestic and international IP legal and policy issues. It also provides technical assistance and training on IP-related matters to U.S. stakeholders and both U.S. and foreign government officials.
Accessibility accommodation
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request to the contact information listed above.