Sir Alec Broers describes three reactions to the proposed changes to intellectual property rights policy at Cambridge. I oppose this change but fall into none of Sir Alec's categories. I have no objection per se to sharing income from intellectual property with the university. If I were driven by financial gain, I would have moved to industry long ago. My objections are based on ethical and moral considerations and the basic principles of academic freedom. These proposals would remove from Cambridge academics all legal control over the decision-making process regarding how their intellectual property is exploited.
Mike Clark
Lecturer in therapeutic and molecular immunology
University of Cambridge