China’s dysfunctional patent flood

Although labs throughout China are turning out high profile biomedical studies at an impressive clip, the country still lags in its ability to commercialize valuable discoveries. A new study argues this is because bad patents are destroying the value of the nation’s best science.

The report from the Chinese technology transfer firm Sinoipro provides insight into the reasons behind the failure to protect valuable IP, and argues the problem won’t change without a fundamental realignment of the government’s incentives that reward patent proliferation over quality...