Resolving the IPR Issue during HFC Phase-down: A Case Study of HFO1234yf in the Mobile Air-conditioning Sector
To understand the impediments that IPR poses for a successful phase-down of HFCs in developing countries, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Unit for Research and Development Information Products (CSIR-URDIP) carried out a study of the number and nature of patents filed in India around the manufacture and use of HFO 1234yf and its blends, especially in the mobile air-conditioning (MAC) sector. The study finds that a large number of patents have been filed and many have been granted for the process of producing HFO 1234yf (Process Patents) for modifications in air-conditioning equipment that will use HFO 1234yf and its blends (Equipment Patents) and for the use of these chemicals in the refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) sector themselves (Application Patents).