US President Donald Trump’s administration threatened to assume ownership of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of patents from Harvard University, accusing the Ivy League college of failing to comply with the law on federal research grants.
In a letter to Harvard president Alan Garber on Friday, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the university is failing its obligations to US taxpayers, paving the way for a process that could result in the government seizing its patents under the Bayh-Dole Act.
Harvard has until Sept. 5 to prove it is complying with the requirements, including whether it showed a preference for US manufacturing, or risk forfeiting its patents, the letter said.
Photo: Bloomberg
The US government could issue third-party licenses to Harvard’s patents.
“This unprecedented action is yet another retaliatory effort targeting Harvard for defending its rights and freedom,” a university spokesperson said. “We are fully committed to complying with the Bayh-Dole Act and ensuring that the public is able to access and benefit from the many innovations that arise out of federally funded research at Harvard.”
The move is the latest escalation of the White House’s pitched battle with Harvard as more than US$2 billion federal funding is suspended while the two parties negotiate over a potential settlement. It is also the first time that the administration is leveraging the US Department of Commerce and patent law in its pressure campaign against Harvard and other elite institutions.
The university has sued over the withheld funding as well as the administration’s attempts to ban the school from enrolling international students.
The Trump administration is seeking at least a US$500 million payment from the university to return the federal funds, Bloomberg News has reported. Harvard reportedly has balked at that figure.
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