European Commission : Trade : Technology transfer

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Intellectual property

Technology transfer

Art. 66.2 of the TRIPs agreement states that "developed country Members shall provide incentives to enterprises and institutions in their territories for the purpose of promoting and encouraging technology transfer to least-developed country Members in order to enable them to create a sound and viable technological base."

To address this requirement, the European Community and its Member States have launched several actions, which are summarised in an annual communication to the TRIPs Council (2010 report).

The Community is also taking an active part in discussions regarding technology transfer in WTO – see e.g. the reflection paper it submitted to WTO's Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology (2003).

For more information, you may access WIPO's material on licensing and technology transfer and that of WTO's Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology.

In addition, the Community is involved in international initiatives on more specific technology transfer issues, for instance regarding climate change (more information on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)).

In this respect, a study entitled Are IPR a barrier to the transfer of climate change technology? was published by DG Trade in 2009, and the EPO publised in 2010 a study entitled Patents and clean energy: bridging the gap between evidence and policy.

Finally, specific guidance has been developed for businesses regarding technology transfer to China.