Dons' inventions belong to us, says Cambridge

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Leading article: How not to bring science and commerce closer together

Cambridge University is risking a serious rift with some of its leading scientists over proposals to seize control of the rights to their academic work.

The plan, which would take effect in January, has provoked anger among researchers who are warning of "civil war".

The university's Research Policy Committee recommended last month that the university should "assert ownership" of any intellectual property generated by Cambridge researchers that was not otherwise licensed.

At present, the university is unusual in allowing its researchers to own the rights to their inventions. Almost all other British universities have some form of over-arching ownership of their staff's inventions. The practice is also normal in America.

But Dr Ross Anderson, an expert in cryptography and computing, predicted: "There will be civil war about this. There's no way that the science, technology and medicine researchers will take this lying down." He said there was evidence in the US that the Cambridge approach produced more inventive companies.

Dr David MacKay of the university's physics department, who has produced a number of pieces of software he makes available without charge, said: "I would be concerned if software couldn't be free and the university claimed ownership. I think that the academic community works well precisely because we share freely."

The proposals will be debated by staff later this year.