[chrisBob]

Universities are an interesting case in patent reform. By many people's definitions they would be the patent trolls that we are trying to get rid of: They are not the inventors, and they don't make anything.

As an engineering student at one of the schools on the list I like that my school is willing to pay to file a patent with my name on it even if any revenue would mostly go back to the school.

[hurin]

>They are not the inventors, and they don't make anything.

This is highly misleading if not down-right ignorant. Academic research is and has been absolutely necessary for most of the technologies we use today - patent's might not be the best way of financing said research, but we should be clear on the first part; before we roll the barrel on bad administrations and wasteful spending at universities. The toxic response to universities in general here on HN is rather astounding.

[totalrobe]

Agreed, and it sound like the type of comment made by a clever university student that hasn't experienced the typical soul crushing workplace.

[totalrobe]

Well you're not explicitly wrong. Universities don't make things, but people at universities do. And universities are directly impacting inventors and researchers by providing education, professional networking and support, and infrastructure.

To be entirely honest, I'm not familiar with all the channels that researchers can get funding, but to discount all these factors by saying universities don't make anything is kind of lame too.