While researching information for my Ethical and legal issues in Biomedical writing class on the Indian version of the American Bayh Dole Act, I came across a very interesting article which I would like to share with you.
The article can be found at: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/09/19/8272884/index.htm
The article makes for very interesting reading and touches on many different incidences and issues.
The article talks about how the Bayh Dole Act , which was passed in 1980 in the United States, wasn't looked upon as the savior of the fate of federally funded research in the United States. The Bayh Dole Act basically allowed grantee institutions conducting research with federal funds to patent and commercialize their inventions. Prior to the Bayh Dole Act federally funded inventions belonged to the government and a very few of these inventions ever reached the public.
With regards to the implementation of a version of the Bayh Dole Act in India, I have been asking myself many questions over and over again:
Will innovation be hampered if universities are allowed to patent, commercialize, and basically make money off of their inventions created with federal funds?
WIll it hamper basic scientific research?
Will it create a uncontrollable rat race amongst scientist in universities?
So many questions, but I haven't yet come to a conclusion in spite of weeks of research, questioning, pondering, and deliberation.
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