The Indian government is moving towards approving a law that will create a framework for universities to patent their discoveries. Currently, ownership of innovations made through government-funded institutions belong to the Indian government, much like the situation in the US before the Baye-Dole Act was passed in 1980. That law stated that technologies developed with federal funding at a university belong to the institution. Its passing spurred universities to establish linkurl:tech transfer offices;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/39379/ to help researchers commercialize inventions; the number of patents shot up, as did venture funding for innovations developed at academic institutions. The law now wending its way through Indian parliament is modeled closely after the Baye-Dole Act. According to Gregory Kalbaugh, who heads the life sciences working group of the U.S.-India Business Council within the US Chamber of Commerce, it would be a similar boon for India. "India graduates probably the second-largest number of PhDs in the...

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