Intellectual property models for sustainability transitions: A multi-level perspective

Meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) necessitates accelerated sustainability transitions through eco-friendly production-consumption patterns. This paper explores the underexplored role of Intellectual Property (IP) in Sustainability Transitions (ST), specifically in Green Technologies (GT). Despite the recognized significance of IP in conventional technology transitions and the acknowledged role of innovation and IP, particularly in collaborative innovation, in achieving sustainability transitions, its application in the complex GT development and diffusion process remains overlooked. The study integrates Geels' (2002) Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) with Vimalnath et al.'s (2017) IP model typology, dissecting IP models within Socio-Technical System (STS) across spatial and temporal dimensions. Employing a solar photovoltaic case study structured along the MLP model and analyzed through Vimalnath's IP sharing model, the research identifies eleven propositions for IP models in different sustainability transition phases. Supported by additional examples, these findings offer a systematic exploration of IP's interaction with the ST process, offering valuable policy and managerial implications. While drawn from a single case study, these propositions provide a foundation for subsequent research to affirm their generalizability. ; This paper is developed as a part of the research project IPACST. IPACST is financially supported by the Belmont Forum and NORFACE Joint Research Programme on Transformations to Sustainability, which is co-funded by DLR/BMBF FONA-SOF 01UV1812A and 01UV1812B, Germany; GCRF, United Kingdom; ESRC (ES/S008322/1), United Kingdom; VR 2017–06439, Sweden; and the European Commission through Horizon 2020.