Statement of Senator Birch Bayh on the 30th Anniversary of the Bayh-Dole Act
Posted: Sunday, Dec 5, 2010 @ 8:46 pm | Written by Senator Birch Bayh | Comments OffPage viewed 2,820 times |
Posted in: Congress, Guest Contributors, IP News, IPWatchdog.com Articles, Licensing, Patent Fools™, Technology & Innovation
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I’m delighted to be here today to say “Happy Birthday” to the Bayh-Dole Act on its 30th anniversary. It’s great to look around the room and see so many friends who worked so hard to make this day possible along with those who appreciate what the law means to our country, and indeed, the world.
Bayh-Dole teaches several lessons worth recalling:
- A handful of motivated citizens really can change the course of a nation;
- An idea whose time has come can bridge the partisan divide; and
- Each generation must cherish and protect the entrepreneurial spirit that built America for it is our greatest national asset, but can also be lost if neglected or discouraged.
It is hard to overstate the popularity of Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century world. Today in the minds of many Benjamin Franklin is remembered as one of the Founding Fathers, and revered for his contributions to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitutional Convention and his role in finally convincing the French to join America’s fight for Independence. While all of these accomplishments are certainly noteworthy and would be the defining achievement in the career of most, it is the science and invention of Benjamin Franklin that propelled him to fame and fortune. The list of Benjamin Franklin’s inventions (see below) reveal a man of many talents and interests. It was his love of science and the pursuit of knowledge, however, that brought out the inventor in Franklin. His natural curiosity about things and the way they work made him try to find ways to make them work better.
