more info from talk at MIT yesterday.

[werner at mc.ab.com]

>Date: Fri, 03 Jun 1994 10:36:37 -0400
>From: "Perry E. Metzger" <perry at imsi.com>
>
>Since when can the government patent its work? I thought that works
>produced by government agencies could not be copyrighted or patented.

I'm not sure of the details, but I know the law in this area was changed
during the Reagan administration to unfetter U.S. companies who had done
research that was partially govt. funded.

Under the old rules, foreign companies could take advantage of work that
could not be patented or otherwise protected by trade secret.  Thus,
technologies that were developed through govt.-funded work were acquired
for free and used against the U.S. in global economic competition.

Not sure about work that is completely government-produced, but what did
the government ever come up with all on its own, anyway?

I do know that my company is currently engaged in several joint projects
with the government as a result of the new regulations, and part of the
deal is that we retain the rights to the inventions.

tw