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 a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
205
Abstract Views
2,957
Rank
227,860
PlumX Metrics