Category Archives: Technology Transfer

End the disaster of university patenting for exclusive licensing

While there is a place for exclusive patent licensing (but why not just assign?), the university screws over its public mission by involving itself in exclusive deals. Just because those deals aren’t obvious to the public unless they make big … Continue reading

Posted in Bayh-Dole, History, Metrics, Patents, Technology Transfer | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on End the disaster of university patenting for exclusive licensing

Stop being Moloch

Here is a short form of the argument that nothing is a better way than the approach to technology transfer, IP, licensing that universities have at present. The present approach universities take to IP management/technology transfer does not work, has … Continue reading

Posted in Patents, Policy, Technology Transfer | Tagged , | Comments Off on Stop being Moloch

Better than drinking oneself silly

In my last article, I argued that “the better way is no way.” Sounds sort of zen-like, no? That is, universities would do a better job of technology transfer if they started by getting out of the claim-everything-own-everything-patent-everything-try-to-license-exclusively-or-not-at-all-for-one-big-hit-in-2000-inventions business. Or, … Continue reading

Posted in History, Technology Transfer | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Better than drinking oneself silly

Why I stepped away, and why I am back

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

Posted in Commons, Innovation, Projects, Social Science, Technology Transfer | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Recreating Bell Labs, or Not

It is time to get back to writing here. I will resume by pointing to a new article by Brian Potter at Construction Physics on Bell Labs, “What Would It Take to Recreate Bell Labs?” Potter identifies a number of … Continue reading

Posted in Technology Transfer | Tagged , | Comments Off on Recreating Bell Labs, or Not

10 Ways Universities Deal in Patents

I have been thinking about how university technology transfer is depicted, versus how it actually happens. The depictions are something of a prophetic hope–inventions reported to the university’s licensing office will be evaluated for “commercial potential” and those that look … Continue reading

Posted in Patents, Technology Transfer | Tagged , | Comments Off on 10 Ways Universities Deal in Patents

Faculty Strategies for Getting Their IP Back, 2

Here are some strategies for getting IP back that don’t work or avoid IP ownership. (1) Don’t disclose an invention to the university, and file for a patent on your own. Your application will be published in a year or … Continue reading

Posted in Bayh-Dole, IP, Technology Transfer | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Faculty Strategies for Getting Their IP Back, 2

Faculty Strategies for Getting Their IP Back

If you are a faculty member at an American university, you will get a lot of twisted advice from your university technology transfer office about intellectual property, Bayh-Dole, and patent policy. The advice (and descriptions about technology transfer) is mostly … Continue reading

Posted in Bozonet, Policy, Technology Transfer | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Faculty Strategies for Getting Their IP Back

A university technology transfer annotated reading list

So you want to tell heaven from hell, blue skies from pain. Got it! Here is a basic reading list of documents that frame the history of university technology transfer. I’ve put it in chronological order and provide links to … Continue reading

Posted in Policy, Technology Transfer | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A university technology transfer annotated reading list

Cornboard, Part 1

The Bayh-Dole Coalition, an evidence-free lobbying organization in support of not enforcing Bayh-Dole’s public protections, tweeted today a “success” story: Success Story! @UofIllinois 3 Researchers developed a product known as “CornBoard”, a way to make composite materials from corn to … Continue reading

Posted in Bayh-Dole, Patents, Technology Transfer | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Cornboard, Part 1