Summary

Historically the basic tasks of a university have been teaching and scientific research. The alma mater has been the caring, selfless and good mother, feeding society with knowledge. The reality today, however, is such that the university as the disseminator of knowledge is increasingly becoming the seller of knowledge.

The article examines the changing of the role of the university in society, as well as some associated theoretical questions. The authors ask whether the university in society today has become one category of entrepreneur, and what kind of role intellectual property plays therein. Of the various categories of intellectual property, the article looks only at some of the issues regarding the patent policy of universities. There is discussion of Estonian legal acts that regulate the issues of intellectual property associated with universities, as well as of documents adopted by Estonian universities that determine the basic principles of university policy regarding intellectual property, and set specific provisions for the separate categories of intellectual property. The examples that are provided reflect mainly the official documents of the University of Tartu and the Tallinn University of Technology. The issues regarding the relationship between the making public (publication) of the research results and patenting are also examined. Attention is drawn to the need for a university policy to be formed as regards what is patented and how the sole right is used.