Special rules allow government scientists to profit from inventions and discoveries they make while on the taxpayer dime.
Pharmaceutical companies and other private businesses make the payments. Hear why one watchdog group says it’s a serious conflict of interest.

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I think we have to look at the contracts they sign when coming on board.
An employee of Sears invented the ratchet but couldn’t get a court to give him anything for it since he was an employee at Sears at the time.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the highest-paid federal bureaucrat, received 23 royalty payments. (Fauci’s 2021 taxpayer-funded salary: $456,028).
No Royalties. Never.
I am not sure how much tax payer money went into the creation of that drug. Using the Covid vax as an example, and since they were free, that money should have reverted to the Treasury. It still Can Revert to the Treasury
Fauci’s royalties came from his time in front of a camera.
Overall, the whole system is convoluted and needs to be overhauled.
As an employee of several large corporations over my career, I was required to sign documents that any invention I developed would be the property of the corporation unless I could prove it was done in my spare time and nothing garnered from my employment, aka intellectual property, was involved.
Why can we not demand the same of every government employee?
Great. Let’s cut out all incentives so then China can lure all our scientists to invent things for them to sell back to us over Amazon
Great. Let’s cut out all incentives so then China can lure all our scientists to invent things for them to sell back to us over Amazon.
(Sarcasm)
I don’t have a problem with an inventor profiting from his invention. That provides additional motivation for the development of new products. I wouldn’t want to work for an employer and never see gain from my creativity. However I do have a big problem with government or industry funding the development of products that hurt people, like the Covid vaccines.
Fantastic reporting! No-one does it better than your Sharyl.