[abalone]

> I'd rather the research be free and have it benefit society.

I do too, but the system of private corporations collecting all the profits of public investment is a twisted concept of "benefiting society". Benefiting society ought to mean that the profits of public investment get distributed among the taxpayers in an equitable manner, not just the 1%.

Not just by commercializing & marketing products, but actually paying an appropriate share of profits back to the government as you would an early stage investor. Or, conversely, making the products available at a proportionately lower cost, thus benefiting society in a manner proportionate to the risk of the taxpayer investment.