Today's Pick: Research not slowed by IP protections

“Scientific research has not been hindered significantly by a recent proliferation of technology patents and licensing agreements, according to four groundbreaking international surveys completed by AAAS’s Science and Intellectual Property in the Public Interest (SIPPI) project.

Some experts have feared that a rise in intellectual property (IP) protections could stifle discovery because the protections would bar too many scientists from using IP research tools. But in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, tools from software to genetically modified organisms ‘remain relatively accessible to the broad scientific community,’ according to the reports.

‘While it was not possible to do direct, country to country comparisons, all four studies suggest that intellectual property rights had little negative impact on the practice of science,’ said Stephen Hansen, SIPPI project manager…”

More:

• Press release: “Research Not Slowed By Intellectual Property Protections, AAAS Surveys Find,” June 1, 2007
• Full reports: “Publications by or for the Project on Science and Intellectual Property in the Public Interest”