The patents are not geared towards academia. More monies are dedicated towards these patents than the research that was presented in the three initial Nature articles. The patents research and publication establish that more efforts are being given to developing CMNS energy technology for market entry than in efforts to establish a wet cell "lab rat". Also that "replicable proof" is not really a problem in regards to the current state of LENR.
Of course. All technology is patented, if it can be. That does not stop the results from being released academically (sometimes a short delay).