Commerce Department Threatens to Take Ownership of Harvard Patents

The university holds more than 5,800 patents and has over 900 active technology licenses with various industry partners.
Commerce Department Threatens to Take Ownership of Harvard Patents
Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on July 4, 2025. Learner Liu/The Epoch Times
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The federal government is looking into Harvard University’s patent rights, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an Aug. 8 letter to Harvard President Alan Garber.
The Department of Commerce is initiating a “march-in” process under the Bayh-Dole Act, a federal patent policy allowing recipients of federal funds to retain patent rights over their inventions made with federal funding.
Naveen Athrappully
Naveen Athrappully
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Naveen Athrappully is a news reporter covering business and world events at The Epoch Times.