ABOUT CIPI

WHAT IS CIPI?

The Climate IP Initiative (CIPI) aims to bring organizations and interested entities together to identify and propose solutions to intellectual property (IP) roadblocks on the path to Net Zero emissions.

OUR AMBITION

The transition to Net Zero will require unprecedented innovation and collaboration. If the world is to achieve the goals set under the Paris Climate Accord, it is essential that industry stakeholders work together to facilitate the efficient dissemination and sharing of IP-protected data, research inputs, technologies and know-how.

CIPI seeks to collaborate with organizations to conduct whole sector analyses, with a view to identifying opportunities to facilitate technology transfer and sharing while balancing competing interests.

WHO WE ARE

CIPI was founded in April 2021 by Corinne Atton, Professor Jorge Contreras, and Professor Joshua Sarnoff.

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CORINNE ATTON

Co-Founder

Corinne is an English barrister and a U.S. (New York) attorney. She has 20 years of experience representing clients in complex, high-stakes IP, and commercial litigations, and international arbitrations. Corinne currently represents clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, before U.S. Federal and New York State Court, and before various international arbitration tribunals. Corinne has also represented clients in inter partes review and in post-grant review proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Corinne has extensive experience coordinating and managing large legal projects, including due diligence, patentability and freedom to operate analyses.

JORGE CONTRERAS

Co-Founder

Jorge recently played a key role in the Low-Carbon Patent Pledge and the Open COVID Pledge. Jorge has consulted for the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), and has authored and edited numerous government reports, white papers, books, book chapters, and articles on issues of IP law, including Standards Essential Patents (SEPs) and FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) licensing, as well as on issues surrounding sustainable building materials, the smart grid, the EcoPatent Commons and solar geoengineering (with Joshua Sarnoff).

JOSHUA SARNOFF

Co-Founder

Joshua has testified before the U.S. Senate on patent legislation and was a Thomas A. Edison Distinguished Scholar at the U.S. Patent Office. Joshua has consulted for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and for the South Centre on IP and environmental issues. He has published extensively on issues of IP and climate change, including on negative-emission technologies and IP policies for solar geoengineering (with Jorge Contreras). Joshua has also published on technology funding and transfer and on climate change-related public-private partnerships.

APRIL BREYER MENON

CIPI Coordinator

April is a former IP attorney, with years of experience litigating IP disputes. She has a JD from Boston College Law School. April coordinates CIPI’s collaboration with organization and with other initiatives.

WENDY MILES QC

Strategic Advisor

Wendy is the coordinator of Net Zero Lawyers Alliance (NZLA). CIPI is working closely with NZLA to attain shared goals regarding the role of IP rights and technology in the transition to Net Zero.

Wendy is a specialist in international arbitration and dispute resolution, and is a prominent spokesperson on matters of climate change and the law. Wendy acts as global coordinating counsel to major corporations in relation to climate change transition, disclosure, reporting, compliance and investment. She has represented the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) at COP since 2015.