Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-06-08

Citing fantastic" profits made by
some Government employees on in
ventions they evolved during work
ing hours using Government equip
ment, Attorney General Clark last
night called for steps to tighten the
system.
He recommended uniform patent
policy for all agencies, reserving to
the Government all rights to most
inventions by its employees and those
of researchers under contract to the
Government.
Mr.. Clark based his report on a
four-year study requested by Presi-
dent Roosevelt. The Attorney Gen.
eral urged tablishment OF Gov
eminent Patents Administration TO
direct the new program. 1t would
apply a single policy to all Govern
ment agencies in place of varying
procedures now in practice.
1t would have particular bearing
on the War and Navy Departments
and to a lesser degree on the Federal
Works Agency. The report said
these are the only agencies which
still contend that patent rights must
be left to the employe in order to
induce him to invent"
President Truman made the re-
port public lin order to obtain tull
and frank discussion by all indi-
viduals and organizations concerned,
including private companies, educa-
tional institutions, and the interested
Government departments and
agencies"
The report said Government re-
search in the last FIVE years has
skyrocketed into multi-billion
dollar program concerned primarily
with aviation, transportation, COM
munications, ordnance and atomic
energy.
Main Conclusion
After asserting that Federal par
ticipation in postwar research will
be large and OF major significance"
1t reached this main conclusion:
Inventions financed with public
funds should inure to the benefit
of the public, and should not be-
come a purely private monopoly
under which the public may be
charged for, or even denied, the
use Of technology which it has
financed.
THE weight OF informed opinion
and the evidence of experience -
establish that patent rights are in
fact an undesirable form of incen-
tive" because, among other things,
they may induce lack of co-opera-
ton and secretiveness among re-
search workers"
In discussing the practice of the
Naval Research Elaborate the re-
port listed the case OF DR.. Harvey
C. Hayes, expert in the field of
sound and submarine
1t said DR.. Hayes was under con-
tract for years to assign all of his
patents to Texaco "allegedly at
compensation of SIS 900 a year"
I'm 1887" it added, the depart
ment made an effort to prohibit
conflicting outside employment,
DR.. Hayes offered to re-
sign If he were obliged to relinquish
his Texaco contract. Upon submis-
sion of the matter to the Judge
Advocate General 1t was decided
that he could retain his connection
with Texaco while continuing In
the Navy Department"
Oil Dilution System Mentioned.
In some Army cases where it !
said substantial sums" have been |
realized by Government personnel,
the report mentioned Weldon
Worth, civilian employee at Wright
Field Laboratories, who invented
an oil dilution system for airplanes.
The report said this was used by
the British in the recent war and
under patent interchange agree
ment that country requested the
United States to obtain a license for
it under Mr.. Worth's British patent.
The United States, under terms of
the interchange agreement, would
bear the cost OF getting such a
license. The report continued: