The UW Intellectual Property Management Advisory Committee (IPMAC) recently passed a resolution that will make UW technologies and medicines widely available to developing nations around the world.

The IPMAC resolution states that the UW affirms, “its primary goal in technology transfer to maximize worldwide use and societal benefit of its research and technology.”

In other words, the revised licensing policy will focus more on the underprivileged and advocating humanitarian need than profit.

The decision avoids tying “the hands of the people who work at the [UW] TechTransfer office,” said Larry Snyder, a professor of computer science and chair of IPMAC.

It is a definite step toward a more socially responsible position, he said.

“Slowly but surely the international health community has been working in all different directions,” Snyder said. “People have gotten around to finally realizing that there are so many things that affect healthcare in the Third World, and one of them is licensing practices of first world universities.”

James Severson, vice provost for UW TechTransfer, agreed with IPMAC’s resolution.

“[There is] a heightened sensitivity across the country,” he said. “This makes a statement about where our intent should be.”

UW TechTransfer is responsible for investing in intellectual property protection. It also issues both non-exclusive and exclusive licensing for patented technologies and software-based innovations.

Non-exclusive licenses give UW TechTransfer more flexibility, because it allows multiple companies to use UW technologies, including industry partners in Third World countries.

“The IPMAC resolution says that the University recognizes that non-exclusive licensing will increase access more than exclusive licensing,” said Whitney Harrington, UW School of Medicine graduate student and coordinator for Universities Allied for Essental Medicines’ (UAEM) UW chapter.

IPMAC’s decision on licensing and distribution redefines the original goal of the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act, which required universities to promote intellectual properties through commercialization.

The UW chapter of UAEM, an organization which works to improve global access to public health goods developed at universities, met with IPMAC to implement a new policy change.

“We were encouraged by this group to revise licensing policies,” Snyder said.

UAEM is the national organization responsible for Yale University and drug company Bristol Myers-Squibb changing their license agreement on d4T, also known as stavudine: an antiretroviral drug which was used to combat the spread of AIDS in the United States.

UAEM’s efforts paved the way for cheap d4T production in South Africa.

Harrington presented UAEM’s proposal to IPMAC in the fall of 2005. She worked with Snyder and Severson to implement seminars and forums on campus in support of the resolution.

IPMAC’s resolution will have a restricted scope on UW intellectual property distribution.

The resolution recommends a review in cases where UW TechTransfer is forced to weigh between societal benefit and commercial interest, which Snyder said is a “very limited thing.”

The UW TechTransfer Web site lists nearly 200 companies started by UW students and faculty and about 250 new inventions are disclosed each year.

Some of the inventions developed at the UW include WebCrawler, an early search engine, and Hepatitis B vaccines.

The College of Engineering Web site reports the UW is ranked second nationally among public universities in federal research funding.

Reach reporter Anthony Shelley at news@thedaily.washington.edu.