Q24

[hippo3717]

someone please check my work:

A) Maximalist would allow
B) First half is right but the second half is wrong
C) Superamaximalist would allow
D) Faculty-oriented would allow
E) same as D

[maryadkins]

Well done except that I don't see how the first part of (B) is right. Are you saying it's allowed under the faculty-oriented model? "All their inventions" is too extreme. I don't see (B) being covered in any part by the FO model.

[aradunakhor]

Could someone explain why D is covered by a faculty-oriented approach? I know the last paragraph mentions that it is assumed researchers own their IP, except if the development is public health related. However, why are we justified in assuming that they instead become university property? Isn't it there a good chance that public health developments fall under basic science research, which should not be patentable/commercially exploited. They're a scientific discovery which is a public good.

I know B is too extreme with its 'under any circumstances' condition to be covered by a faculty-oriented approach (the closest one), but D seems to me to be just as unlikely to be covered by it.

[maryadkins]

The context of the passage as a whole is about faculty ownership versus institutional ownership. That provides the support for there being institutional ownership in the absence of faculty ownership.

[olaizola.mariana]

I agree with aradunakhor and am not convinced by maryadkins' explanation. Why should we assume that all public health interventions become the property of the institution? I would argue that a more realistic scenario in the real world would have those public health interventions become free of exclusive ownership. Why else would there be a special exception for public health?

In the end I was torn between (B) and (D) and chose (D) because I was able to locate the relevant part of the passage faster and see that there was lack of support for it.

Please shed some more light!

[maryadkins]

Thanks for the follow up! It was interesting to do a deeper dig on this.

On a second read, I think (D) Is also covered by the first of the four models—under the supermaximalist institution (line 27), which "stakes out the broadest possible claim," (D) would be covered for sure. (Note that it doesn't say either ONLY public health inventions or that the inventions are institution-owned BECAUSE they're public health related, only that they are institution owned.)

[olaizola.mariana]

I see now, thank you!