Author Archives: Gerald Barnett

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

[I’ve revised this a few times. I will leave it now. It’s intended to reflect passion and disbelief at the magnitude of this situation. It is not a mild difference of viewpoint couched in odd technicalities of a law most … Continue reading

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Some More Roche Comments

Roche’s response to Stanford University’s petition for a writ of certiorari is posted here. My read of it is, they got the Bayh-Dole piece of it right. See Section I.A (Bayh-Dole was not intended to be a tool for universities … Continue reading

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Who To Listen To?

I’m sort of fascinated by the academics doing surveys to ascertain technology transfer practice. They don’t actually sully themselves by observing practice–that would take too long, be expensive, and would compromise some degree of (what to call it?)–oh–innocence–perspective. Survey is … Continue reading

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Are you feeling all right?

Here are some implications of US university IP policies and technology transfer office practices: 1) the value of university research is referred at each point of invention to commercial markets; 2) university IP claims serve to create value for the … Continue reading

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Fragmentation

When a bunch of universities file patents on bits and pieces of an area of research, such as has happened in nanotechnology, who are the big winners? That is, there is a commons made of patent claim thicket. No one … Continue reading

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Patent Fair Use, Commons, and Research Inventions

Madey v. Duke wasn’t a good thing for research. Essentially, it put an end to the idea of a research use exception to patent claims. Whatever the merits of the case, there is no question in my mind that it’s … Continue reading

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Here’s what I mean

Nick White over at the LinkedIn SpinOut group points to a story put out by the University of Edinburgh. According to a summary by Richard Wachman in The Guardian, the University claims 40 start ups in a year, raising £3m in start … Continue reading

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Thinking about software

I’ve spent a large part of the past 20 years working on university-originated software IP–in research, instruction, and administrative services. We’ve done open source, source available, venture-backed start ups, technology access programs, commons, publication agreements, distribution agreements, site licenses, waived … Continue reading

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If it weren't for bad luck

A bad IP policy is worse than nothing. The purpose of an IP policy is (1) to change in the defaults of law, (2) to provide clarity with regard to employment obligations, (3) to set out protocols to manage IP, … Continue reading

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…. And Zombies!

In perhaps the simplest form, one may ask what collateral damage university IP policies do to research, just as one might ask whether central plans for rebuilding a city have much to offer the areas to be rebuilt. In this, … Continue reading

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