Evening star., 1926-09-15
CHEMISTS POINT
TO UNJUST LAWS
Science Body Declares War
on Foreign Patent Practice
Held Discriminating.

A worldwide war against the long
injustice to pure scientists, as con-
trasted with inventors, contained in
the patent laws of most countries,
was decided upon today by the In
ternational Union Of Pure and Applied
Chemistry, which adopted the report
Of it's committee on property rights.
Requests will be sent to the ma
tional chemical societies of all mem
ber nations urging that they work to
have incorporated in their laws pro-
visions similar to those by which re-
search workers are protected in the
United States.
The scientist, it was pointed out,
is seldom concerned with the practi-
cal results of his work. He works
only to extend the field of human
knowledge. He has laid the founda-
tions of modern civilization, but has
remained very poor while other men
have reaped the rewards of his work.
Instance Is Cited.
chemist, for example, will work out
principle which is of great value
to industry. He may have no con-
ception of it's real usefulness. 1t is
published in a book, magazine or
report of some institution. Some
man with smattering knowledge of
chemistry, but a thorough knowl-
edge of the needs of industry, works
out a definite formula from the
principle and patents it, often reap
ing millions and all the fame, while
the man who did the bulk of the
work, perhaps spending a lifetime on
this one subject, gets nothing and is
forgotten.
The resolution requested that all
countries incorporate in their laws
provision giving the scientist priority
for two years after the first publica-
ton Of his discovery. This, it was
held, is sufficient to allow it's prac-
tical use to be determined and TO en-
able him to get financial backing.
Such a move was asked as an en-
couragement to laboratory workers
who otherwise have almost no posi-
bility of financial reward to look for
ward to-
The meeting of the union today was
taken up mostly with committee con-
ferences, dealing largely with a
standard nomenclature for all chem
ical products in all countries to avoid
the confusion incident to translation
and different understandings of the
same terms.
Would Classify Protides.
The most important of these meet
ings was that of the commission on
biological chemistry which decided
that all protides be divided into two
groups. The first group would con-
tain all amino acids. The second would
include all other protides. At the
next meeting, which probably will be
in Poland, it will be decided whether
to call this second group proteins.
protieS, proteoides or peptideS. When
a name finally is selected it will be-
come fundamental in chemistry.
The committee on industrial hy
giene decided on close study of the
laws of the United States relating to
this subject, particularly with a view
to their adaptability to the conditions
of other members of the union and
the possibility of getting them enacted
by the Legislatures. 1t was recognized
that the public health laws of this
country. SO far as their chemical as
poets are concerned, represented a
considerable step in advance, but in
some nations the same problems have
not yet risen.
for research decided that groups of
chemists interested in different ma
terialS should constitute themselves
as committees to devise means of get
ting the proper material in all coun-
tries.
Sessions End at Noon.
The sessions here ended at noon
with a meeting of the council of the
union, presided over by DR.. Ernst
Cohen of Utrecht. Holland, at which
the reports were adopted and the next
meeting place considered. Most of the
delegates favor meeting of the eighth
annual conference at Warsaw next
year, when Germany and Austria
probably will be admitted.
The delegates We're guests Of George
town University for luncheon and aft
erward were taken on sightseeing ex-
curSionS to the various scientific bu-
reaus and institutions in Washington,
including the Bureau of Standards,
the United States National Museum,
the Smithsonian Institution and the
Carnegie Institution.
They will leave Union Station at 5
o'clock for Wilmington, Del, where
they will be shown through the du
Pont works. the first of the greater in
dustries of the country which they will
study for the purpose of introducing
In fbaiY- ONY-y1 f.nIInf methods