The Justice Department has approved a plan for Harvard, Yale, and other universities to pool patents for cutting-edge technologies, a move that could make it easier for the schools to commercialize their research.
The University Technology Licensing Program will pool patents from 15 universities and provide a one-stop shop for startups and other companies to license patents related to autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies.
The department said in a letter Wednesday that the licensing program, as proposed, was unlikely to harm competition. UTLP had asked the Justice Department to review its program for antitrust concerns.
“To the extent that...