Anonymously contributed:
"I'm researching patent/IP theft, and I'm curious if you know -- or could put me in touch with someone who does know -- about patent/IP looting at national labs. I have a friend who works at a national lab in California who has been working on a design for some time. It's almost ready for technology transfer/licensing, and some claim-jumpers have started calling it "Our unique patented technology" and are out winning business plan competitions with it, and are shopping the gadget around for venture money and manufacture. My friend has had this happen to three of his inventions now, and the previous two times, the Lab folded its cards and granted licenses for token fees. Once again, the Lab looks to be issuing not-very-strongly-worded letters expressing concern about apparent improprieties, while eyeing the exits nervously. My suspicion is that various business types have discovered that if you just straight rip off a National Lab, the government is so full of people who are either A) afraid of controversy or B) convinced that "government bad, business good," that you can walk up, steal their lunch money, and they won't do anything about it.
If you can put me in touch with anyone whose useful invention has been stolen by the private sector while a National Lab sat by, wetting itself, I would very much like to know about it."
"I'm researching patent/IP theft, and I'm curious if you know -- or could put me in touch with someone who does know -- about patent/IP looting at national labs. I have a friend who works at a national lab in California who has been working on a design for some time. It's almost ready for technology transfer/licensing, and some claim-jumpers have started calling it "Our unique patented technology" and are out winning business plan competitions with it, and are shopping the gadget around for venture money and manufacture. My friend has had this happen to three of his inventions now, and the previous two times, the Lab folded its cards and granted licenses for token fees. Once again, the Lab looks to be issuing not-very-strongly-worded letters expressing concern about apparent improprieties, while eyeing the exits nervously. My suspicion is that various business types have discovered that if you just straight rip off a National Lab, the government is so full of people who are either A) afraid of controversy or B) convinced that "government bad, business good," that you can walk up, steal their lunch money, and they won't do anything about it.
If you can put me in touch with anyone whose useful invention has been stolen by the private sector while a National Lab sat by, wetting itself, I would very much like to know about it."
Comments
(1) Whenever you work for the Labs any idea becomes their idea.
(2) Whenever you give an idea to the Labs, expect them to steal it.
It's that simple.
Most major development labs, PARC, IBM Watson, Westinghouse R&D, now extinct dinosaurs, were poor at exploiting ideas.
Better to be a singleton or member of a small team, then it is in your interest to get rich, so you pursue your Coronado with gusto.
And the program developers whose job it is to get new work, will take credit for your friends efffort to pad their meager accomplishments.
It's a big bureaucracy.
Inventions are byproducts or curiosities that get uneven treatment because neither the inventor nor the labs know how to effectively exploit the ideas. If they did, angel investors would be all over this place.
They talk a good game, but its not their strength.
If your friend thinks they really have something, then their best (but far from sure) bet may be to go on entrepreneurial leave and put all their passion behind it. It will be an adventure no matter what.