10 Dec Majority of Voters Oppose Undermining Intellectual Property Rights, New Poll Shows
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 10, 2024) — Voters overwhelmingly oppose a Biden administration proposal that’d cripple America’s world-leading research universities, according to a new poll released today by the Bayh-Dole Coalition.
The proposal would encourage federal agencies to routinely misuse a provision of the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act to allow the bureaucracy to impose price controls on products based on federally funded inventions. Supporters of the plan claim that federal agencies could reduce the price of medicines and other inventions by re-licensing patents to copiers after entrepreneurs have developed them at great risk and expense. Studies show the idea would have minimal impact on drug prices but it would have a devastating impact on U.S. innovation, which is largely driven by small companies dependent on patent protection to compete in the marketplace.
“As this poll shows, voters are rightly concerned about the consequences of meddling with a system that has led to thousands of life-changing products over the last 44 years,” said Joseph P. Allen, Executive Director of the Bayh-Dole Coalition. “The Bayh-Dole Act devolved power from government agencies to universities, nonprofit labs, and small businesses across the country. NIST’s dangerous plan would centralize power in Washington once again.”
The poll found that nearly three-quarters of voters are worried the proposal would undermine investment in critical industries including life sciences, renewable energy, and telecommunications. More than four in five voters, including supermajorities of both Democrats and Republicans, said they believe strengthening intellectual property rights is important to maintain U.S. economic competitiveness.
“Americans clearly recognize that our nation’s future as a global innovation leader depends on the technology transfer between universities and the private sector,” said Allen. “Policymakers should heed their concerns and work to protect, not undermine, the Bayh-Dole system that has proven so successful at turning federally funded research breakthroughs into real-world products that benefit Americans.”
The poll, conducted by Morning Consult, surveyed 1,770 registered voters between November 27 and November 28, 2024. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
Click here to view the full results of the poll.
About the Bayh-Dole Coalition: The Bayh-Dole Coalition is a diverse group of innovation-oriented organizations and individuals committed to celebrating and protecting the Bayh-Dole Act, as well as informing policymakers and the public of its many benefits.
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