But how will the taxpayers ever see any of the profits? It's not like enterprises funded by grants from the government send any of their profits back, unless the government takes actual ownership, which I don't think is very common, at least not anymore.
Of course, a successful business will pay taxes and increase economic activity etc. etc., but I don't think that's much of an argument. It absolutely is strange to see government-funded research ending up locked down like this, if that's what it is.
let's say the patent is released, and a year later every household in the world is thrilled to have black morels every night for dinner, for free, out of their DIY morel cultivation box, and nobody anywhere in the world can ever sell a morel to anyone else again.
Have "the taxpayers" seen benefit from this? In terms of currency return on investment, no. But in terms of access to a desirable commodity, heck yes. How much value have they seen? Something like 365 times the price of a meal's worth of mushrooms.
The best government research generates benefits this broad.
Of course, a successful business will pay taxes and increase economic activity etc. etc., but I don't think that's much of an argument. It absolutely is strange to see government-funded research ending up locked down like this, if that's what it is.