US universities lose millions of dollars chasing patents, research shows \ stacker news ~science

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US universities lose millions of dollars chasing patents, research shows theconversation.com/us-universities-lose-millions-of-dollars-chasing-patents-research-shows-244270

429 sats \ 8 comments \ @south_korea_ln 15h science

For the case study university, I found that every single cost category exceeded the intellectual property-related income. The opportunity cost for writing patents instead of grants was more than 33 times the income realized.

This means that the average U.S. university is literally losing millions of dollars pursuing patents. Research universities could increase research income by simply ignoring intellectual property entirely.

I'm already not a fan of IP from an ideological perspective, this would comfort me one in their choice not to patent a discovery.

I recently had to do it for the first time. I was down the line, but i could see from afar the amount of paperwork involved. All with the best case scenario goal of selling it to a patent mill if the tech ever gets used. It's the lawyers that will benefit most, if ever.

Well, now i can put on my CV i have a patent. That's something? 😂

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33 sats \ 0 replies \ @nkmg1c_ventures 2h

I imagine government / national security gets preference over cool stuff, so this is a good way to keep a captive pool of IP that can be mined at time of application or later

10 sats \ 4 replies \ @Undisciplined 14h

Congrats on getting the patent, but this is just more evidence demonstrating that IP is an inefficient institution.

51 sats \ 3 replies \ @south_korea_ln OP 13h

For sure. This was in the context of an American collaboration. When working with Europeans, the question of applying for a patent never comes up. I guess most universities in the US hire people to help researchers finalize the paperwork, so in a sense, they need to justify their existence within the university by getting researchers to apply regularly for patents. It's self-sustainable. Just some more research money used inefficiently.

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @Undisciplined 13h

Patents are a large source of funding for many schools. I suppose more explicitly state funded schools have less need for that.

24 sats \ 0 replies \ @WeAreAllSatoshi 4h

Many corporations, too. They effectively become trading assets or bargaining chips.

I remember once being involved in an internal hackathon where one of the top criteria for determining a winner was whether the project was patentable.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @sangekrypto 5h

I wonder, where do they use the research funds?

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @SimpleStacker 14h

That's cool, I'd love to be able to call myself a patent holder. I'd have no idea where to even begin with the system.

11 sats \ 0 replies \ @south_korea_ln OP 13h

Me neither. I still don't know. We just got our university in Korea to talk to the university in the US. They are the ones paying. They will also be the ones benefiting. I don't think I'll see any financial return from this patent.