An opinion piece in the San-Jose Mercury News argues against forcing drug makers to allow for generic versions of their products simply because their research was federally funded:
“Prior to 1980, America had an innovation problem. The government funded basic research at university and non-profit labs and retained the patents resulting from the research. Inventors had no incentive to move their discoveries from the laboratory into the marketplace. …
“The Bayh-Dole Act broke that gridlock by allowing university research labs to retain their patents and license them to private firms in exchange for royalties.
“The result opened a floodgate of American innovation.”
