For this reason, Research Organisations will always have to climb a wall of credibility with their Clients. If a Research Organisation has the audacity to claim ownership of intellectual property discovered in the course of a research project, its Client is likely to be very unimpressed. Of course, in our heart of hearts, we know that sometimes it is entirely appropriate for a Research Organisation to claim ownership of the intellecual property. I am just trying to explain why this issue is so emotive. The best way for me to do this is to draw an analogy to the explorer and his wealthy merchant sponsor.
Lawyers are great wordsmiths.
That's our stock and trade. But words on a sheet of paper do not always translate into a practical result. In the case of newly discovered intellectual property, the issue is not its discovery but its disclosure. There is no way to guarantee that a Research Organisation will make full disclosure of a discovery. A discovery, by definition, is something that was not previously known.