Universities Provide Ideas, Receive Licenses

When people think of inventors, often times they focus on individuals, disregarding the support that those inventors may have received along the way.  However, it should not be forgotten how colleges and universities also play an integral part in advancing technology by playing a supporting role.

A recent article on OnlineAthens brought to light how innovations at American universities result in a multi-million dollar business.  For example, researchers at the University of Georgia developed a new type of Bermuda turf grass, named TifSport.  This is so cutting edge, that it will actually be used during the semi-final matches of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. 

While the listed inventor is Wayne Hannah, UGA was able to speak with industries that may be interested in commercializing TifSport.  Then, UGA was able to license the product and collect large royalties when the product hits the market.  This process is repeated by many colleges and universities throughout the country, and several products can attribute their roots to the collegiate level.

The top 10 list of Universities, as reported by the Association of University Technology Managers, are listed below.  In addition to the name of the school, the list also includes the number of deals they amassed in fiscal year 2007:

1. University of California System – 231

2. University of Washington – 203

3. University of Georgia – 125

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 116

5. Iowa State University – 113

6. North Carolina State University – 106

7. Purdue Research Foundation – 99

8. University of Michigan – 91

9. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – 89

10. Stanford University – 88

While this list is impressive, it should be noted that the University of California System actually represents a number of schools and not a single university.

M.I.T. Sues Seagate Technology & Western Digital

Think academia is exempt from patent infringement lawsuits?  Not exactly.

The Mercury News has reported that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued both Seagate Technology and Western Digital, over claims they infringed on their patents for technology used in memory devices.  The complaint, filed in federal court in Delaware, also named TDK and units of Samsung Group. 

The two patents involved in the lawsuit were assigned to MIT in 1997 and 1998, and are licensed to Santa Clara-based MagSil.  The patents focus on hard-drive components using Tunneling Magnetroresistive technology.  MIT and MagSil are seeking a court order barring any further infringement, as well as unspecified damages.

The elite university, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is not new to patent lawsuits.  Earlier this year, MIT filed a lawsuit against Affymetrix, accusing the company of willfully infringing a patent related to DNA microarray technology.  Back in 2003, MIT lost a patent infringement lawsuit against Lockheed Martin Corp.  In that case, MIT had sought royalties for Lockheed’s operation of two U.S. ground stations for Inmarsat, a global satellite telephone system.

While one may not have expected MIT to launch patent infringement lawsuits, can one really be surprised when thousands of bright people pass through their halls every year?