Academic scientists not as constrained by patents as many believe

The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that academic scientists appear to be less affected by intellectual-property rights than researchers who work in industry.

Further, a survey found that an area of particular concern for academic researchers -- having access to technologies used to conduct research -- "may not be as constrained by intellectual-property rights as many have feared," according to Stephen A. Hansen, director of the Science & Intellectual Property in the Public Interest project at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The title of the article is Scientists Can Usually Acquire Research Tools and Data, Despite Patents and Other Protections, Survey Finds.