MOSCOW. Feb 6 (Interfax-AVN) - Violations of intellectual property laws result in Russian know-how drain abroad, Vladimir Lopatin, deputy director of the Law and Order Research and Development Institute of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, believes.
"The 2003 inspection of scientific organizations in a number of law-enforcement agencies showed that there was no efficient control over intellectual property, acquired under the state defense order and funded by the state budget. This results in the intellectual property of defense, special, and dual nature draining abroad," Lopatin told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
He noted that in compliance with patent laws, the state customer is to claim a copyright on results of research, research and development, and other intellectual activities, carried out at its request and funded by the state budget.
"At the same time as of January 1, 2001, not a single state customer, or ministry, or department submitted such applications to the Russian Patent and Trademark Committee," Lopatin said.
At the same time he noted that the 2003 budget allocated RUB40.2bn (USD1.5bn) for science. "All these assets were spent, certain results were achieved, but the state did not get any copyright on the scientific products developed," Lopatin said.
According to him, this situation results in Russian know-how draining abroad or to private individuals.
By way of example he stated the following facts: the patent for the co-axial main rotor of the Russian attack helicopter was registered in the Netherlands; the aircraft power plant turbine blades production technique was patented in Switzerland; while the power plant, mounted on the Russian VTOL aircraft, was patented in the U.S.
"In fact, the state, which spends certain assets on getting unique technologies, is forced to pay for the same things twice. In order to manufacture and sell these products Russia will have to buy licenses from the U.S., Switzerland, the Netherlands, and other countries. Thus, the country sustains a double damage in the defense sphere," Lopatin said.