Trump threatens Harvard patents worth hundreds of millions

Source: Politico

Trump threatens Harvard patents worth hundreds of millions

The Commerce Department is launching an immediate review of the intellectual property Harvard has derived from federally funded research grants.

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A Harvard sign is seen at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. Rick Friedman/AFP via Getty Images

By JUAN PEREZ JR.
08/08/2025 05:50 PM EDT

The Trump administration is threatening the status of Harvard University's lucrative patents as it continues to engage in hardball negotiations with the Ivy League school.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick declared Friday that the administration is launching an immediate review of the intellectual property Harvard has derived from federally funded research grants, in what amounts to yet another display of White House power over higher education institutions.

The administration's review will center on its authority under the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, and could spark a process where the federal government could claim ownership of a university's patents or issue licenses to third parties for those patents, according to a senior administration official.

"The Department places immense value on the groundbreaking scientific and technological advancements that emerge from the Government's partnerships with institutions like Harvard," Lutnick said in a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber that was obtained by POLITICO.

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Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/08/trump-harvard-patents-00500814