Patents Chilling Effect on Science

cheesedog writes "The American Association for the Advancement of Science recently conducted a survey on the effect of patenting on the sciences. The results are frightening: 1/5th or more of all research projects in the United States are being chilled by patent holders. The sheer amount of research being canceled because of licensing issues is astounding, but at the same time many of these researchers hold their own patents and therefore contribute to the problem."

Comments

What's the point of research anyway?

[Simon Garlick]

I mean, we don't need to know how stuff works. It just does, because that's how God made it.

My New Patent

[Guppy06]

I wish to patent my technique for adding an apostrophe to a noun to make it posessive. For example:

Patents' Chilling Effect on Science

Cease and Desist!

[meta-monkey]

Slashdotters, I warn you that I have a patent covering the discussion of the chilling effects of patents on science. This discussion must end immediately or you will be hearing from my lawyers!

Re:Times are a changin'

[Trigun]

Leibeniz? Bah. A bloody hack. He couldn't derive his way out of a burlap sack. He never invented anything.

I. Newton

Perhaps this could be a good thing

[Anonymous Coward]

The chilling effect could be quite useful in the areas of superconductor research.