Amsterdam UMC wants to add one of its researchers as a co-inventor to former Minister Plasterk’s patent applications. After investigation, the hospital concluded that “the invention does not belong exclusively to Ronald Plasterk”.

Amsterdam UMC said this in a statement. The university hospital had previously said otherwise. Norwegian Refugee Councilwho was the first to publish “The Case for Patents,” that it was true that Plasterk’s name was the only one on the patents, because the idea was his.

But the hospital conducted further investigations into the events surrounding those patent applications. They consulted with outside stakeholders and experts, and examined email traffic between Plastrek and his then-research colleague. The hospital now concludes that this colleague also belongs to the patents.

A molecular biologist, Plasterk had been researching cancer vaccines at an Amsterdam hospital for several years. He filed for patents through his own company, outside AUMC. He then sold that company, including the patent applications and the now-approved patent, to the pharmaceutical company CureVac for tens of millions.

Plasterk was now in the picture as a candidate for prime minister. But the controversy over the “hype” over patents and accusations of self-enrichment through the use of public money eventually cost him the premiership.

The hospital has reached out to CureVac, the current owner of the patents and pending patents, to add Plasterk’s co-inventor. As the employer of this co-inventor, AUMC will then automatically and retroactively become a co-owner of the patents.

A hospital spokesperson told the Norwegian Refugee Council: If the hospital does not respond to the pharmaceutical company, legal action will follow.