While pursuing a career in patent law I had suspected the rules on intellectual ownership of research papers were hazy and ill-implemented in comparison with the strictly defined and regulated patenting and trademarking industries - one can't help but feel the notable difference is the money that corporations have at their disposal to throw at lawyers in protection/predation of intellectual property, which research institutes and fellows simply do not.
The consensus (and I agree) seems to be that the scientific research setup requires reform, and that a shift away from political manoeuvering towards fair reward and incentivisation is needed to rejuvenate an outdated system currently rewarding intellectual dishonesty with acclaim and tenure.
It will be interesting to see if/how parallels develop between research and corporate intellectual property in the future.
Fascinating piece!
RE: Academic Authorship - Anything Goes!