Can patent and science get along well?

According to a knol written by Don Moyer, patent, on certain cases, can bring science ‘to life’ and offer benefits to promote the general welfare.

From the eyes of a patent agent, he explained that there are two weights to balance:

In one hand, patent can help research organisations, such as research universities, to get royalty income to support the university and push inventions further, faster.

In the other hand, the patented research tools and materials can increase cost and limit research.

How to balance?

The basic rule of thumbs, according to Don Moyer, is this:

Patents help businesses bring inventions that can improve and enhance health, education and research to the market – This good economic and moral sense is encouraged and Don Moyer, as a patent agent, even give discount fees for such inventions.

However, patent rights used by big corporations to drive revenue and profit beyond what is needed to bring the product to the market are not favored, as they will only drive costs up, hence retarding education, health and research, and the overall progress of science.

Image by Phillie Casablanca.