The Impact of Patent Protection on the Accessibility of Information Technologies Among University Students —A case for the University of Debrecen

Abstract

This study examines the impact of patent protection on the accessibility of information technology tools among the University of Debrecen students, using the Tragedy of the Anticommons framework to assess four variables, which are fragmentation of ownership rights, proliferation of the rights to exclude, high transaction costs, and underuse outcomes. A survey of 130 students determined that high transaction costs were the only dominant and statistically significant barrier to IT accessibility (with a standardized coefficient (β) = -0.402, where p-value < 0.001), while fragmentation of ownership rights unexpectedly showed a positive relationship with the accessibility of IT tools, contradicting the hypothesis. Proliferation of the rights to exclude and underuse outcome was not a significant predictor, suggesting that the university's licensing arrangements effectively shield students from direct patent-related exclusions and/or restrictions. A striking additional finding was that 71.5% of students did not know how to obtain a software license, revealing a knowledge gap that operates alongside structural barriers. The study concludes that while existing university patenting mechanisms offer some protection, reforms in licensing costs and IP literacy education are needed to ensure equitable IT access for all students.