The inventors will absolutely be well compensated (assuming their work pans out). They will get a patent and either sell or license that patent. That patented will probably end up being held by a rent seaker, who will extract money from the entire globe for the next 20 years until the patent expires.
Given that, why not have a government spend a bunch of money to buy the rights, then release it to the public domain.
If I had to guess, the scientists would be willing to sell it into the public domain for less money then they would to a private company; however they probably would not be willing to donate it to the public domain when there is massive private money on the table.
Given all if this, the fact that there will likely not even be an offer for this by the government is a policy choice that we will be paying for for the next 20 years.
>The inventors will absolutely be well compensated
Who owns the patent? It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to assume the company they are working for owns it. Maybe they'll do OK, but I don't think it is a forgone conclusion that the discoverers/inventors will be suddenly wealthy.
Given that, why not have a government spend a bunch of money to buy the rights, then release it to the public domain.
If I had to guess, the scientists would be willing to sell it into the public domain for less money then they would to a private company; however they probably would not be willing to donate it to the public domain when there is massive private money on the table.
Given all if this, the fact that there will likely not even be an offer for this by the government is a policy choice that we will be paying for for the next 20 years.