More importantly - why do innovations by NASA not go into the public domain?
Our tax dollars paid for it, our homemade battlebots should be armored by it.
Our tax dollars paid for it, our homemade battlebots should be armored by it.
There are other forums in which they publish export-controlled information.
They patent things for at least two reasons. One is monetization - some in Government believe that monetization helps recoup some of the taxpayer's R&D contributions by claiming a "rightful" share of the benefits to commercial entities. I'm not saying I agree with this, just that is it a commonly held viewpoint.
Another, even in cases where the licensing is royalty-free, is for defensive purposes. It ensures a benevolent entity owns the patent and can license it for implementation in an equitable and non-discriminatory way.
Practically speaking, if you were to implement NASA-patented technology in a non-commercial context (homemade battlebot), it's extremely unlikely NASA would come after you for patent infringement.