The J. Craig Venter Institute is a nonprofit. That entity holds the patent referenced in publicity. I can understand the DOE funding its research with my money. I don't really understand the world of patent profits, though, or the other funding entity, the privately held Synthetic Genomics. Venter is the Founder, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Chief Scientific Officer of the latter. BP just invested an "undisclosed sum," according to press releases from this past summer. The President used to be the director of the Office of Biological and Environmental Research at the Department of Energy's Office of Science.