+CAL | Ethical IP Licensing

We all wish we could do more to make the world more just. Forced labor, environmental catastrophe, and attacks on human rights defenders continue unabated across global supply chains. So what can we do to become a part of the solution?

It’s time that we wake up to the power of our own intellectual property (IP). Imagine if every one of us refused to allow our IP to be used in supply chains that harm the environment or fail to protect human rights. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, IP licensing generated at least $115 billion in revenue across 28 industries in 2012 alone. If we were conditioning the use of our own IP on commitments by our employers, research institutions, and other corporations to protect human rights and the environment across global supply chains, we could transform our IP into a $115 billion per year deterrent for unethical supply chains, enforceable in federal courts across the country. That’s real power!

CAL and its partners are actively workshopping IP licensing language (e.g., patent, trademark, copyright) and strategies that can be used freely by anyone who wishes to make IP a part of the solution. We will begin rolling out our licensing language and user guides shortly, including a +CAL license that can be added on to the Creative Commons, MIT, GPL, and other standard licenses. If you’d like to get involved or receive updates as we progress, please sign up below.