Publish, Patent, or Perish?

As some of you may know, one of my original interests in innovation was spawned by the intellectual property system and its effectiveness as an incentive mechanism for inventors.

Of particular interest to me is a recent paper by Margo Bagley of Emory Law School, "Academic Disclosure and Patent Rights." The academic adage of publish or perish might become publish and perish as far as any patent rights are concerned.

Since intellectual property is a valuable asset both to the inventor and the institution, academic researchers may find themselves with a catch-22 dilemma: to publish or to patent? And if patent, then to perish?