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Patenting and licensing university research results: the challenges of 'disruptive technologies'
Jon Sandelin
Senior Associate, Office of Technology Licensing, Stanford University, United States of America
Abstract
Only a small number of discoveries made at universities become commercially significant. The road to commercial success may take many years, or sometimes decades. This paper provides a general back-ground on university invention licensing, describes the patented technologies- then provides a case study- reviewing the extended licensing history of the Ultra High Carbon Steel technology. Ultra High Carbon Steels have not yet reached large-scale commercial use. Its licensing history at Stanford University provides good examples of the difficulties that may arise in introducing new materials into commercial markets. The article introduces the notion of Ultra High Carbon Steels as a 'disruptive technology', outlining some of the consequences of efforts to introduce disruptive technology to an established industry.
Keywords
technology transfer, disruptive technologies, licensing, university inventions, bayh-dole act, ultra high carbon steels
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