Intellectual property as a key support for the development of the lithium industry

By PPO Abogados

Three Bolivian inventors have been granted a patent for their process for obtaining battery-grade lithium carbonate using EDTA from commercial-grade lithium carbonate. The patent, granted by Bolivia’s IP Office (Senapi) provides the inventors with legal protection for their intellectual property in a booming industry.

Lithium, a metallic element, is best known for its role in energy-storage technology. Lithium-ion batteries, rechargeable and lightweight, power the most-used electronic devices on the planet, from cell phones to laptops.

On July, the Associated Press informed that the total of Bolivia’s confirmed lithium resources increased from 2 million tons to 23 million tons. The new estimate further cements Bolivia’s position as the country with the world’s biggest known deposits of lithium, which is in high demand for use in batteries.

Bolivia needs to take advantage of its excellent mining export potential, notably in its massive lithium resource, and patent and intellectual property protection is a step forward. The private sector's technical and financial resources are critical to developing Bolivia’s lithium potential.

According to the latest Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) Update from the World Bank,  attracting quality investment to these sectors requires addressing appropriability risks related to Bolivia’s long history of nationalizations, the lack of arbitration mechanisms, a high and rigid tax burden, and below- market local fuel prices.

“Equally important are efficient and effective safeguard mechanisms to prevent unsustainable environmental degradation, including water availability limitations and mining-related water pollution and landscape damage, and to improve social acceptability. In the same vein, the ecological impact of mining activities could be reduced by implementing and enforcing better environmental regulations on small-scale mining cooperatives,” the report states.