Category Archives: Projects

Why I stepped away, and why I am back

Posted on July 21, 2024 by Gerald Barnett

I’ve been asked where I’ve been for the past year, and to brief about it, I decided to step away from writing and focus on other things, such as working with companies. I also felt that I had had enough … Continue reading →

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University Patent Policy for Effective Technology Transfer, 1: Outline

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Gerald Barnett

Universities have never had patent policies centered on technology transfer. Not back when, not now. It should come as no surprise that universities don’t track technology transfer and don’t report their outcomes. What would a university technology transfer IP policy … Continue reading →

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Who Owns Digital Learning Resources?–5

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Gerald Barnett

There’s a basic problem with federal grant support for research. I don’t know if the Department of Education has avoided this problem, but I will put it out there. If a federal agency supports both research and maintenance of contract deliverables, … Continue reading →

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Who Owns Digital Learning Resources?–4

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Gerald Barnett

Now let’s deal with “digital” educational works in the context of university intellectual property claims. This is something I’ve spent a couple of decades dealing with. The Department of Education published its final rule in January 2017, requiring open licensing … Continue reading →

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Available to one, developed by none, 2

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Gerald Barnett

We are working through the political argument that without a patent monopoly, federally supported research will never get used or developed into commercial products or ever benefit the public. It’s flowery language meant to lead those who hear or read … Continue reading →

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Available to one, developed by none, 1

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Gerald Barnett

A repeated argument regarding inventions made with federal support was that the public would benefit from these inventions only if companies invested substantial amounts of private capital in developing the inventions as commercial products. Without commercial development at private expense, … Continue reading →

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Thinking about projects, small and big–8

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Gerald Barnett

Here’s the rub for “the work” that necessarily includes “commercialization.” Any license or assignment of an invention made in “the work” draws that licensee or assignee into “the work.” That licensee, to the extent that commercialization is a requirement of … Continue reading →

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Thinking about projects, small and big–7

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Gerald Barnett

What have we got to by musing on research projects at universities? First, that a sponsor may support a big project by providing support to a small project that is a component of that big project. The sponsor who does … Continue reading →

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Thinking about projects, small and big–6

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Gerald Barnett

We have looked at projects. Small projects can be pieces of bigger projects. It’s the big project that controls. Now let’s look at inventions, small and greater. We will see roughly the same thing: the idea of “invention” can be … Continue reading →

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Thinking about projects, small and big–5

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Gerald Barnett

Consider the implications of an assignment of an invention in the context of big projects and greater inventions. If one assigns an invention, having already granted a license to that invention, then the license follows the assignment–unless, of course, the … Continue reading →

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