[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 379 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 379

    To express the sense of the Senate regarding the protection of 
    intellectual property rights for clean energy and environmental 
                              technology.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 17, 2009

Mrs. Gillibrand submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    To express the sense of the Senate regarding the protection of 
    intellectual property rights for clean energy and environmental 
                              technology.

Whereas the development and deployment of innovative clean energy and 
        environmental technology is critical to addressing global climate 
        change;
Whereas intellectual property rights are a key driver of investment and research 
        and development in, and facilitate global deployment of, clean energy 
        and environmental technology;
Whereas efforts to weaken intellectual property rights for clean technology 
        would undermine the environmental objectives of climate change 
        negotiations by reducing incentives for investment, innovation, and 
        clean energy and environmental technology deployment required to meet 
        those objectives;
Whereas weakened intellectual property right protections relating to clean 
        energy and environmental technology could pose a substantial competitive 
        risk to United States businesses and United States workers and inhibit 
        the creation of new green jobs and the transition to a green economy for 
        the 21st century; and
Whereas climate action presents a significant opportunity for international 
        cooperation on clean technology development and deployment, with 
        substantial environmental and economic benefits for all countries: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the President of 
the United States should pursue opportunities for international 
cooperation in technology deployment, and should act to ensure that any 
treaty or other accord resulting from negotiations of the United 
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, done at New York on May 
9, 1992 (or a successor agreement) does not weaken or undermine 
international legal rules and obligations in effect as of the date of 
enactment of this Act relating to the protection and enforcement of 
intellectual property rights for energy and environmental technology, 
including--
            (1) wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydro, landfill gas, 
        natural gas, marine, trash combustion, fuel cell, hydrogen, 
        microturbine, nuclear, clean coal, electric battery, 
        alternative fuel, alternative refueling infrastructure, 
        advanced vehicle, electric grid, and energy efficiency-related 
        technologies; and
            (2) any other technologies covered by such an agreement.
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