Author Archives: Gerald Barnett

The Entrepreunial Research University

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

Three narratives have come together to support the transformation of American university innovation policy from one of diversity and institutional support to one of monopoly institutional control of research inventions, heralded as the best thing for the country. All the … Continue reading →

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Breaking Three Cords

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

The architecture for university IP management is deeply entrenched. It is held in place by a set of three narratives, each of which is readily challenged, but together have such a satisfying outcome that it is difficult for administrators not … Continue reading →

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A vaccine for university invention borreliosis

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

Equity in an invention arises in a number of ways under the university patent policies of the pre-Bayh-Dole misconstruction.   Generally, the premise of equity has to do with support beyond the normal activities and salary of the work, unless someone … Continue reading →

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Well Tempered IP Policy

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

In music one finds the concept of “temperament” in tuning. Jim Loy has a nice discussion of the physics. The basic problem is that the steps represented by the ratios of various notes, such as fifths (3/2), don’t exactly match … Continue reading →

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Well, if you don’t like these five things, I’ve got others.

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

Innovation Daily has just published “Five Things Technology Transfer Offices Wish Their Start-ups Knew.” This appears to be based on a presentation the author made at the last AUTM meeting. Perhaps that’s why the piece argues that university IP offices … Continue reading →

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Equity Policies and Ownership Policies, Part III

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

Part I is here.  Part II is here.  Part III follows below. The policies of the form of 1962–dealing in equities, diverse, open, advocating the use of external invention management agents, if a university had a policy at all–supported the … Continue reading →

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Equity Policies and Ownership Policies, Part II

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

Part I is here. The shift from equity to ownership in university patent polices reflects a substantial change in the approach to innovation.   An equity based policy does not require a claim of ownership.  It is based on the circumstances … Continue reading →

Posted in Metrics, Policy, Technology Transfer | 2 Comments

Equity Policies and Ownership Policies, Part I

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

In 1962, the dominant concept addressed in university patent policies was that of “equity” in inventions.  By 2012, fifty years later, equity has largely vanished from these policies, replaced by “ownership.”  In 1962 most universities did not have a patent … Continue reading →

Posted in History, IP, Policy | 1 Comment

The Hairball Theory of Ownership

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

Buried in a University of Washington web site on information technology, one encounters this statement: Except as noted by an agreement, a law, or a University policy (such as copyright policy), the UW owns all data and records, and all … Continue reading →

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Hope of Better Things

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Gerald Barnett

Vannevar Bush (1949) [emphasis added]: The real reason we made such great progress was not bright inventors or clever gadgets.  It was the fact that we had thousands of men who understood the underlying science in the field, who skillfully … Continue reading →

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