Is UM liable for patent infringement of third-party patents by virtue of work by UM researchers?
A. UM researchers have at time been accused of patent infringement. If you are accused of infringement, you should immediately contact the Office of the General Counsel (see the contact information in this website). The United States Constitution may provide that state universities have immunity from lawsuits for these types of actions. However, patent holders often are not likely to accuse universities of patent infringement due to the non-commercial nature of the research and the public benefits that the research provides.
