Subsidizing 'Patent Roulette'

Indianapolis Star, March 5, 2012, at A13

Stanford Public Law Working Paper No. 2019190

2 Pages Posted: 11 Mar 2012 Last revised: 5 Jun 2015

See all articles by Brian J. Love

Brian J. Love

Santa Clara University - School of Law

Date Written: March 5, 2012

Abstract

This essay criticizes university efforts to patent and monetize the fruits of university research. The piece explains that university tech transfer resembles a government-subsidized game of roulette, in which the vast majority of players lose money but continue to play in hopes of hitting an extremely rare jackpot. The result is a system that often hinders, rather than spurs, innovation and the dissemination of new technologies and, thus, raises serious ethical concerns.

Keywords: university technology transfer, university TTLO, university TTO, university patent, Purdue, Stanford, WARF, Myriad

JEL Classification: I23, K00, L3, O34

Suggested Citation

Love, Brian J., Subsidizing 'Patent Roulette' (March 5, 2012). Indianapolis Star, March 5, 2012, at A13, Stanford Public Law Working Paper No. 2019190, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2019190

Brian J. Love (Contact Author)

Santa Clara University - School of Law ( email )

500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
229
Abstract Views
3,094
Rank
242,250
PlumX Metrics