Public Laws ENACTED
DURING THE
SECOND SESSION OF THE EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, January 8, 1952, and adjourned sine die on Monday, July 7, 1952. HARRY S. TRUMAN, President; ALBEN W. BARKLEY, Vice President;
SAM RAYBURN, Speaker of the House of Representatives.
CHAPTER 4
Public Law 256 AN ACT
To provide for the withholding of certain patents that might be detrimental to the national security, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That whenever publication or disclosure by the grant of a patent on an invention in which the Government has- a property interest might, in the opinion of the head of the interested Government agency, be detrimental to the national security, the Secretary of Commerce upon being so notified shall order that the invention be kept secret and shall withhold the grant of a patent therefor under the conditions set forth hereinafter. Whenever the publication or disclosure of an invention by the granting of a patent, in which the Government does not have a property interest, might, in the opinion of the Secretary of Commerce, be detrimental to the national security, he shall make the application for patent in which such invention is disclosed available for inspection to the Atomic Energy Commission, the Secretary of Defense, and the chief officer of any other department or agency of the Government designated by the President as a defense agency of the United States. Each individual to whom the application is disclosed shall sign a dated acknowledgment thereof, which acknowledgment shall be entered in the file of the application. If, in the opinion of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Secretary of a Defense Department, or the chief officer of another department or agency so designated, the 93300 O - 53 - 4
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February 1, 1952 [H.R.4687]
I n v e n t i o n Secrecy Act of 1951. Post, p. 8 1 5.
Withholding of patent by Secretary of Commerce. Inspection of application by A E C, etc.
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