Suppes on tech transfer

Note the quote of Galen Suppes in the American Chronicle article:

The university filed suit against Suppes in early 2009 for filing patent applications without disclosing them to the university. Suppes -- who discovered a way to transform glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel, into antifreeze -- argues the university sat on his ideas, forcing him to proceed. For years, he said, the university held potential commercialization hostage by failing to file patents but also failing to release the invention back to the researcher.

Had the university not done so, and had the new processes been in place when he was going through the process, "I don't think I'd have any differences with them today," Suppes said. "They have changed, mostly at my expense."

Suppes is still skeptical, though, mainly because he thinks the university demands too much from faculty members who want to commercialize their own discoveries.


On academic patent disputes, see

Notable IP Disputes about Student and Faculty Inventions