Conference - intellectual property and the ecological transition

Friday 28 November 2025 / 9am to 6pm
Avignon University / Amphi AT05

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While the ecological transition is as obvious as it is urgent, there is very little intellectual property research on the subject. The aim of this conference is therefore to bring together specialists in intellectual property and professionals who are confronted with environmental issues, for a cross-disciplinary debate that is both theoretical and rooted in practice.

As the law of innovation par excellence, intellectual property is a driving force behind the ecological transition. Patents on green technologies and distinctive eco-responsible signs are effective instruments for supporting sustainable development. But, paradoxically, intellectual property can also act as a brake on the ecological transition, whether intrinsically, through its guiding principles, or more extrinsically, because of its strong links with digital technology. On the basis of this overview and concrete examples from the cultural and creative industries, the aim is to carry out a forward-looking analysis and suggest ways in which intellectual property can be made greener. The adaptation of standards, in particular contractual standards or exceptions to intellectual property rights, will have to be accompanied by an adaptation of behaviour to make intellectual property more virtuous.

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Programme

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Introductory remarks, Bérengère Gleize and Agnès Maffre Baugé, Avignon University, JPEG

PART ONE: CURRENT SITUATION

Intellectual property, the driving force behind the ecological transition

• Patents on green technologies, Guillaume Henry, Member of the Paris Bar, Szleper Henry Naumann Law Firm, AIPPI General Vice-Rapporteur
• Eco-responsible distinctive signs, Caroline Le Goffic, Professor at the University of Lille, CRDP

Intellectual property, a brake on the ecological transition

• Guiding principles of intellectual property and ecological transition, Agnès Robin, HDR Lecturer at the University of Montpellier, LICeM
• The ecological impact of digital technology on intellectual property, Amélie Favreau, Professor, Université Grenoble Alpes, CRJ
• The ecological impact of intellectual property on biodiversity, Fabien Girard, Professor, Grenoble Alpes University, CRJ, Institut universitaire de France
• The ecological impact of intellectual property in the cultural and creative industries : 

- Books, Stéphanie Le Cam, Senior Lecturer at the University of Rennes 2, ISSTO, Director of the League of Professional Authors
- Fashion, Anne-Emmanuelle Khan, Professor at Lyon 2 University, Transversales

PART TWO: PATHS TO GREENER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The greening of standards 

• Adapting contracts? Jean-Daniel Bouhenic, Member of the Paris Bar, Cabinet DDG
• Manage theupcycling ? by Jean-Michel Bruguière, Professor at Grenoble Alpes University, CRJ
• Developing theopen access ? Alexandre Delmotte, Senior Lecturer at Grenoble Alpes University, CRJ
• Strengthening interoperability? Franck Macrez, Senior Lecturer HDR at the University of Strasbourg, CEIPI

The greening of behaviour

• In museums, Éric Triquet, Professor of Information and Communication Sciences, Avignon University, Centre Norbert Elias
• In music, Léopold Foucault, Centre national de la musique, Ecological Transition and Sustainable Development Officer
• In the theatre, Ève Lombart, General Administrator of the Festival d'Avignon, President of COFEES (Collectif des festivals écoresponsables et solidaires en région Sud)

Concluding remarks, Valérie-Laure Benabou, Professor at Université Paris Saclay, DANTE, co-chair of the CSPLA commission on copyright and the ecological transition