ABSTRACT
A patent, or invention, is any assemblage of technologies or ideas that reader can put together that nobody put together that way before. That’s how the patent office defines it. That’s an invention. The interests and contributions of inventors and authors deserve to be recognised fairly. However, the current dominant model of innovation and commercialisation of science poses a number of problems. It has potential to encourage innovation and stimulate research and development, but also to frustrate innovation and stifle research and development; and can hinder science from operating in a way consistent with the public good. As scientists, they have to get used to the fact that they are more and more encouraged to step outside our ivory towers of quiet laboratory work and, in addition, define the possibilities for the intellectual property arising from our science discoveries.
