// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA

Patents alone won’t unlock critical-mineral supply chains

Published: 09/29/2026, 12:00 AM

Natural Resources Research Institute, University of Minnesota, Coleraine, USA. Search author on: PubMed Google Scholar Rabah Arezki and Grégoire Rota-Graziosi (Nature 655, 302–305; 2026) make a valuable point by arguing that intellectual property, alongside geology, shapes critical-mineral supply chains. Their proposal of a patent pool modelled on the Medicines Patent Pool deserves serious consideration. That said, the pharmaceutical analogy might not translate fully to minerals. Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout How to widen access to the critical minerals that the world needs Metals are key to the global economy — but three challenges threaten supply chains Amend copyright licences to halt AI misuse and reassert human control Transparent research: can big tech learn from big pharma?