Johns Hopkins Magazine -- February 2001
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FEBRUARY 2001
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GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY--OR OVERWHELMING OBSTACLE?

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

S C I E N C E    &    T E C H N O L O G Y

Golden Opportunity--
or Overwhelming Obstacle?
Author's Note


While reporting stories about the always-cutting-edge research being done at Hopkins, the issue of patents (and licensing) came up again and again in conversations with private investigators across campus. Some researchers were intrigued by the possibilities and anxious to make the jump from lab to marketplace, others were more reluctant to focus on the commercial aspects of their work. So I decided to take a closer look at some of their experiences and probe the question that National Academy of Sciences researchers and others also are asking: Are patents good for science?

Because the new paradigm is still unfolding, the answer remains to be seen, but some of the pros and cons are already evident. And reflecting back on what I've learned so far, I think the question goes even deeper in terms of the American democratic psyche: will the individual or the universal good win out as capitalism and the pursuit of knowledge merge further? And in the end, will the pursuit of the first naturally lead to the latter? In some cases yes, in others no, I believe. I'm curious to see how that will all shake out in the end.


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