It's unclear in the technological sector whether the patents or the exclusive licensing of those patents are the real issue. In academic research at universiti

It's unclear in the technological sector whether the patents or the exclusive licensing of those patents are the real issue. In academic research at universities, patented research is not the problem - it's more the exclusive licensing of those patents (taxpayer-financed, as well) to private interests. A better option would be to allow any interest to use academic patents for something like a flat fee / percentage of profits arrangement. In general though, I agree - intellectual property gives too much power to the financial sector and the lifetime of patents and copyrights should be cut in half.