Abstract In principle there is a clear divide between science and technology. In practice there isn’t. In principle, while practical inventions can be patented, scientific findings can’t be. In practice, increasingly scientific findings are being patented. The argument of this paper is that this is bad for the advance of science and for the advance of technology. However, because of the blurry lines, it will not be easy to deal with. The paper lays out a strategy that at least has some promise.