University Patents and Patent Policy Debates in the USA, 1925-1980

Government technology policy has been an important topic in Richard Nelson's research agenda throughout his career. This paper examines the evolution of US university patent policies and the available data on university patenting during the "pre-Bayh-Dole" era. This paper examines the evolution of US university patents during the 1925-80 period by focusing on changes in the overall level of patenting and in the characteristics of the universities active in patenting. One of the most striking shifts in these data is the rapid growth of patenting by private universities, many of which had previously avoided it, during the 1970s, as well as the broader expansion of direct university involvement in patent management during this period.