Bayh-Dole Act

The Bayh-Dole Act or Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act is a United States legislation of 1980, which, among other things, gave US universities intellectual property control of their inventions, even if the invention is the fruit of a government-funded research. The act, sponsored by two senators, Birch Bayh of Indiana and Robert Dole of Kansas, was enacted by the US Congress on December 12, 1980.

The Bayh-Dole Act is one of the most important 20th century legislations in the field of intellectual property in the US, along with the creation in 1982 of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

See also

• Technology transfer

External links

• Innovation's golden goose, an article from The Economist of 2002