Technologies licensed by existing companies and startups and copyrighted software and books generate royalties for Berkeley Lab. The revenue generated is first applied toward reimbursing the costs of intellectual property protection, such as patenting costs or copyright registration fees. For inventions disclosed after September 30, 1997, 35% of the net income is paid to the inventors, 15% goes to the originating division for research, and 50% is used to support Lab research via the central research pool.
For more on royalties see RPM section 5.05. Remember to contact the Technology Transfer Department at ipo@lbl.gov or x6467 to discuss any research that may have produced an invention or tangible research materials that are commercially valuable.
ROYALTY NEWS
FY14
The Laboratory’s FY14 royalty income reached $4.07 million, more than double the total for FY13. Of that total, the Laboratory distributed over $1.27 million to 128 researchers who created licensed inventions and copyrighted software / books. Royalties were distributed to inventors in February 2015. In fall 2015, a ceremony honoring innovation at Berkeley Lab will recognize researchers and technologies earning royalty income.
FY13
In FY13, licensed inventions and copyrighted software and books earned royalties of over $2 million, and 126 Berkeley Lab inventors received a total of over $683,000. For the complete story, go here. For a list of inventions and researchers receiving royalties, go to the 2014 Royalty Distribution Handout.
Recipients present for the FY13 royalties ceremony
(From l-r): Robert Cheng, Ted Chang, Steve Holland, Erik Page, Paul Alivisatos, Arie Shoshani, Pavel Afonine, Jay Keasling, Dominique Loque, Duo Wang, Peter Zwart, David Bailey, Nathan Hillson, Christian Kohler, Steve Selkowitz, Ling Zhu, Andre Anders, Paul Adams, Horst Simon, Ashok Gadgil, Nigel Moriarty, Joanna Chen, Jeffrey Warner.
FY12
In FY12, licensing income from Berkeley Lab inventions, software and books totaled $2.7 million. The inventors’ share of about $657,000 was distributed among 113 Berkeley Lab scientists and authors. For the complete story, go here.
FY11
In FY11, licensed Berkeley Lab inventions, software and published books yielded royalties of over $3.6 million. The researchers’ share of the royalties, totaling over $1.1 million, was distributed among 136 Berkeley Lab scientists. For the complete story, go here.
FY10
In FY10, Berkeley Lab inventions and copyrighted software and books earned $2.6 million in royalties with 165 researchers receiving a total of $718,000. For the complete story, go here.