Patents do not hinder research

Intellectual property protection is not holding back scientific research, according to a survey of American Association for the Advancement of Science members. The survey is part of AAAS's Project on Science & Intellectual Property in the Public Interest, an international assessment of how patents are affecting scientists' ability to do research. According to data released on Jan. 16, 32% of the 2,117 U.S. respondents had acquired rights to use a patented technology, method, or material, and of this group, only 32% reported having had difficulty accessing the technology. The survey also found that 52% of 1,980 respondents have created patentable technology. A breakdown of this response shows that a significantly higher number of scientists from industry (78%) were creating intellectual property, as opposed to scientists from academia (42%).