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Biotech Report Says IP Spurs Innovation

Posted by timothy on from the complicated-incentives-and-disincentives dept.

ananyo writes "A report presented at the 2012 BIO International Convention in Boston, Massachusetts suggests that patents do not stifle progress when they occur at early phases of research, as some have suggested. Over the past decade, increases in patents have been matched by growth in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors in India, Brazil, Singapore and other countries with emerging economies. The strength of patent rights can be quantified in an index ranging from 0 (no patent rights) to 5 (very strong). Over time, the countries that U.S. biotech and pharmaceutical companies have invested in have moved up the IP barometer, the report (PDF) says."

10 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. IP? by rossdee · · Score: 4, Funny

    Internet Protocol Spurs Innovation

  2. Lets Stick to Software Patents by utkonos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Let's all focus on software patents rather than all patents in general. The argument is much more cut and dry. If we focus all our energy on getting rid of software patents, I think it would be more beneficial than trying to reform all patent law. Once we've gotten rid of software patents, then we can move to reforming the patent law in regards to areas that are much more gray.

    1. Re:Lets Stick to Software Patents by KiloByte · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Singling out software patents would be selfish -- let's fix this for everyone.

      --
      The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
    2. Re:Lets Stick to Software Patents by Znork · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Ignoring the monopoly right sleight of hand patents are just another transfer method. Like any tax and spend system, of course they're beneficial for the recepient and if the recipient was the only party to the equation we could just hike taxes and spend on everyone and everything.

      But patents and taxes are not free. They already do harm to everyone else by the funds they transfer to the beneficiaries. So the question becomes, do we gain as a whole by taking from everyone else and giving to the patent holders? Do we gain more by giving monopoly rights than we would by outright state funding?

      There are strong indications that IP rights are far less efficient than even the absolutely worst run government programs in existence. For the money transferred to pharmaceuticals not even 20% are spent on actual R&D, while twice that falls under their marketing budgets. That suggests we'd get far more R&D if we junked patents and created research funds tied to actual research. Basically any system would beat patents. In any and all industries.

  3. in related news by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Insightful

    people invested in a broken system have enough to lose to profess faith in the broken system

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    1. Re:in related news by ATMAvatar · · Score: 5, Informative

      The entire premise of the article is that patents == innovation, and thus, more patents indicate more innovation. As an example, the article mentions that:

      Similarly, after Taiwan instituted a rule about IP based on government-funded findings, the Bayh-Dole Act, university patenting increased by 354% between 2004 and 2009.

      Clearly, the increase was due to an acceleration of innovative research and not because of an act that made previously un-patentable research now available for patents.

      --
      "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
  4. American companies insist on rights by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    American companies insist on having rights! The fact that they are getting those rights does not mean the rights are doing anyone any good. In fact the pharmaceutical industry is in trouble because they've been leaning on their patents instead of doing basic research. Now the patents are expiring and the companies have nothing else to offer. In that light, the patent system is doing tremendous harm.

  5. In related news by CobaltBlueDW · · Score: 4, Funny

    Bank report says,"Banks are awesome!"

  6. Sponsored by Biotech Industry Organization by wisebabo · · Score: 4, Informative

    I kid you not (I read TFA). At least the have a good acronym (BIO).

  7. Always write white papers for your sponsors... by gavron · · Score: 4, Informative

    This pro-ACTA pro-IP organization writes lots of so-called white-papers.
    This is one more of the same.

    Think of them as a lobbyist organization for the pro-IP side of the world
    including Big Pharma and Microsoft: http://www.pugatch-consilium.com/?page_id=580

    Here's their list of publications which includes pro-ACTA stuff:
    http://www.pugatch-consilium.com/?page_id=590

    This isn't news. It's more astroturfing by the "IP is Awesome" side of the world."
    There's a reason that Microsoft and Big Pharma pays these guys. This paper is one such.

    E