Government Patenting and Technology Transfer

by Paul Heisey, John King, Kelly Day Rubenstein, and Robbin Shoemaker

This report examines the use of intellectual property rights in Federal technology transfer, focusing primarily on the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). ARS uses patenting and licensing when a technology requires additional development by a private sector partner to yield a marketable product. Licensing revenue is not a major motivation. Greater use of patenting and licensing by ARS has not reduced the use of traditional instruments of technology transfer such as scientific publication. The structure of licensing agreements affects technology transfer outcomes. Mutually advantageous revisions to license terms may at times maintain the incentives through which private companies distribute the benefits of public research.

Keywords: Patents, licenses, intellectual property rights, technology transfer, Agricultural Research Service, ARS, agricultural research and development

In this publication...

• Entire Report
• Report summary
• Abstract, Acknowledgments, Contents, and Summary
• Introduction
• The Public Policy Background and the Economic Case for Intellectual Property
• Technology Transfer by Federal Agencies
• Technology Transfer at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
• Case Studies of ARS Technology Transfer Using Patents
• Policy Lessons from Technology Transfer Case Studies
• Conclusions
• References