Role of Patenting Framework for Electric Vehicle Innovations from BRICS Perspective

Abstract

Electric vehicle (EV) technologies are one of the fastest-growing segments in green technologies. Development and adoption of EVs in BRICScountries is significant for the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and to ensure affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy by boosting clean mobility. Towards achieving the SDGs and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) set in the Paris Agreement of 2015, countries are innovating in the domain of EV. The BRICS nations are emerging as a potential market for development and utilization of such technologies. Patenting trends of a country indicate its technological competitiveness and affordability. The present paper analyses the patent trends in the EV segment amongst BRICS countries. It analyses the growth in EV technologies in these countries for a period of ten years, i.e., from 2012 to 2022, and tried to understand the role of the intellectual property (IP) regime mainly patents in the development of EV technologies. By performing a comparative analysis of the national patent laws of BRICS country’s role of patents and relevant provisions affecting the faster promotion, development, and diffusion of EV technologies has been identified. Study shows that IP is an essential component in accelerating green growth in the EV segment and a conducive patent regime promoting green inventions with supporting administrative processes is needed for BRICS countries.