Hmm...

If you mean selling the results of pure research, I don't think it would make much money.

I mean, how much is discovering some new fundamental particle worth financially? By itself, not much.

Now, if the research turns up APPLICATIONS for that new fundamental particle which can make $$$, it turns in to Applied Research because applications can be patented.

The motivation for commercially-funded pure research would be that they can use the results for applied research to develop applications for what the pure research turns up. That's why companies like Bell Labs used to do so much basic research (or fund the efforts with grants to universities) which is unpatentable, like research into the properties of silicon and other materials so they can develop a very patentable and profitable use for it (transistors and semiconductors!).

Today there are actually companies that will also fund applied research and not patent the results. Crazy some might say, but some companies do. Such as IBM-- These guys came up with high-temperature superconductors, copper-interconnect technology for silicon chips, silicon-on-insulator techniques, etc. And IBM never patented any of it. Lots of people are benefiting and making money from IBM's applied research though (like AMD and Intel, both of whom are making CPU chips using both Cu-interconnect and SOI technology).

My biggest beef with Intellectual Property companies: The system is easily abused. Witness Rambus's attempt to corner the world DRAM market by trying to patent the JEDEC-established SDRAM open standard.

Guess some companies are greedier than others..