Republican and Democratic members of the House Science Subcommittee on Technology have passed a new bill to make licensing inventions developed at federal laboratories easier for industry. But in advancing the legislation, committee members moved to virtually eliminate the ability of the public to obtain basic information on the nature of licenses granted to companies. The legislative action is seen as thwarting the ability of watchdog groups, members of Congress, the press, companies, and individuals to monitor whether federal agencies are acting fairly in licensing inventions to corporations and whether the terms of cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) serve the interest of the nation.
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