[jjoonathan]

> I think that anything funded with public grant money should be barred from being patented.

Grants, green cards, and IP rights are the three pillars of research funding in the US. Any proposal to lop off one pillar needs to come with a plan to replace it or an argument why decimating the US research apparatus is the lesser evil.

[cowsandmilk]

> Grants, green cards, and IP rights are the three pillars of research funding in the US

IP rights are definitely not a pillar of research funding. The majority of universities lose money on their tech transfer offices[1].

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/education/patenting-their-...

[CalChris]

This. But the majority of these tech transfer offices are more like Berkeley's, jealously guarding their prerogatives rather than promoting students and faculty interests.

Stanford's model is that alumni who do well are generous. Also, alumni startups are like all startups, strapped. So unlike Berkeley, which wants their cut upfront, Stanford is patient.