Universities, the GPL and Patents?

nonlnear asks: "I'm about to finish a PhD in Mathematics and am starting to realize that I am not a big fan of my university's policy about inventions, patents, software, and the like. The gist of it is: you invent while working here => we own everything => we will patent everything. I am planning on a career in academia, but am very conflicted about this way of doing things. What Universities out there will allow me to publish (otherwise patentable) software under the GPL?"

Comments

Re:Most Will...You Just Need To Know How To Start

[Noksagt]

Plagarism is when you publish or submit something and call it your own.

How, exactly, are you claiming the GPLed code as your own? Many academic papers I read in which the author created a derivative work from GPLed software make it explicit as to what there work is built on & I don't recall saying you should claim authorship for anyhting you didn't write.

Making a derivitive work, giving it someone else, and not using the GPL *IS* a violation of the GPL.

And that is why I (and Stallman before me) said it is a good way to release software under the GPL. If you start with GPLed software, you have two choices: keep it in house & don't release it (which many Universities and funding agencies are O.K. with) or release it under the GPL.

And if you have an agreement that keeps you from doing that,

As I said, I haven't seen many agreements to that effect in academia.

How many academic contracts can you show me which prevent you from starting with copyleft code?

How many academic contracts can you show me that prohibit the teacher from shitting on thier desk? Or stealing money from the administrator's pocket?

Oh. I guess you haven't seen many agreements to that effect either.