Michael Geist
Law Bytes
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 160: Peter Carrescia on Why Patents Won’t Solve Canada’s Innovation Problem
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The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 160: Peter Carrescia on Why Patents Won’t Solve Canada’s Innovation Problem

What if the emphasis on patents as fuel for innovation hurts rather than helps Canadian startups?
Patent by Brook (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/3fKqYy

In recent years, there has been growing effort to link longstanding concerns about Canadian innovation with patents. The argument - which has crossed into Canada’s strategy around AI - posits that the road to an innovative economy is inextricably linked to a greater emphasis on intellectual property and in particular on patents. But what if the correlation between patents and innovation is weak at best? What if an emphasis on patents may actually be harmful to startups whose attention and resources is better placed elsewhere?

Peter Carrescia is a successful innovator and investor who recently wrote a Globe and Mail op-ed that raises precisely these issues, warning that “creating policy that pushes patents regardless of area or company stage and gauges success by counting patents is misguided and, in fact, dangerous to the success of startups.” He joins the Law Bytes podcast to talk about his experience and concerns with direction of government policy that may be mistaking an IP policy for an innovation one.

Show Notes:

Peter Carrescia, Boosting Patents Won’t Solve Canada’s Innovation Problem

Credits:

David Lametti, McDonald-Laurier Institute, An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada

Discussion about this podcast

Michael Geist
Law Bytes
In recent years the intersection between law, technology, and policy has exploded as digital policy has become a mainstream concern in Canada and around the world. This podcast explores digital policies in conversations with people studying the legal and policy challenges, set the rules, or are experts in the field. It provides a Canadian perspective, but since the internet is global, examining international developments and Canada’s role in shaping global digital policy is be an important part of the story.
Lawbytes is hosted by Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law and where he is a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society.