Law360 (August 4, 2020, 5:49 PM EDT) -- Uncertainties in the U.S. patent system are causing venture capital funding to move away from pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and other sectors that are crucial to the country's national security and public safety, according to a new study.

The study — released Monday by the Alliance of U.S. Startups & Inventors for Jobs — centers on the trends of venture capital investments in so-called patent-intensive sectors, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office defines as those with the most patents over a period of time relative to the industry's total employment.