Academic Patents and Technology Transfer

This paper exploits a particular facet of the US patent system, which thus far has been overlooked in the literature: the patent renewal fee scheme relating to switches from small to large entity status. Based on this observation, we are able to determine whether university patents are licensed over their enforceable lifecycle and at what point in time the licensing occurs. We find that while the funding source of patented inventions makes no difference to the propensity of an academic patent being licensed, federally sponsored patents are less likely to be licensed early compared to their non-federally funded counterparts.