Probe planned into Dolly patent sale


23 May 2000



Probe planned into Dolly patent sale


MPs may launch an inquiry to see if taxpayers lost out on billions of pounds after patents for Dolly the sheep were sold for 1.

The House of Commons public accounts committee is expected to discuss the issue on Tuesday (23 May) reports the Financial Times.

This could shake up the way patents for government-funded science are sold, claims the newspaper.

Tory MP Bill Cash says the public purse could have lost out on billions in royalties when patents were transferred from the state-funded Roslin Institute in Edinburgh.

But the ministry of agriculture said the vast majority of research and development was aimed at public benefit.

  • Financial Times, 23/05/2000 page 2

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