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They aren't totally secret. Other companies in the field know about and can see them. The patents are just not made as public as normal patents. So friendly

They aren't totally secret. Other companies in the field know about and can see them. The patents are just not made as public as normal patents. So friendly companies, those with the appropriate security clearances, still benefit from the shared knowledge. If, sitting in your garage/basement, you invent a tech covered by a secret patent then you will be getting a job offer. If you market that tech then you will probably be arrested for dealing in weapons or other heavily-controlled material. Building missile guidance systems or uranium enrichment centrifuges is not something done by home tinkerers.

FpUser 5y ago
>"If, sitting in your garage/basement, you invent a tech covered by a secret patent then you will be getting a job offer." Or being told to shut up and get lost. And can't sue back because the lawsuit will be dismissed on the basis of national security.
- dylan604 5y ago
  Or knocks on the door from a couple of agents informing you that you are doing something you should not be doing as a private individual. Surely, if you are, you must be a subversive which is the total point of the conversation you'd be having.
  - FpUser 5y ago
    >"Surely, if you are, you must be a subversive" You sound like KGB. Person can invent tech for what them thinks is a totally peaceful purpose and have no idea that it has high military value in some specific field. Fucking witch hunt attitude.
- seoaeu 5y ago
  I mean, if you're developing a missile guidance system or something that you do not intend to be used by your country's military, then I'd hope you have a very good explanation of who you do intend to use said technology. And if not, "shut up and get lost" seems like a pretty mild reaction...
  - R0b0t1 5y ago
    Are people not remembering the issues with PGP?
    - seoaeu 5y ago
      The issue with PGP was that encrypted communications were classified as a munition, not the concept of export controls. There is no civilian use for an air-to-air missile guidance system. There are plenty of private individuals with legitimate reasons to use encryption
      - AnthonyMouse 5y ago
        > There is no civilian use for an air-to-air missile guidance system. People say things like this and then it turns out to be useful for ornithologists who want to use drones to tag wild birds. You never know what something is useful for until somebody uses it for that.
        seoaeu 5y ago
        It really shouldn't be very hard to tell whether a garage lab is a terror cell trying to shoot down passenger airlines, or a bunch of ornithologists trying to do better wildlife tracking. Honestly, I'm somewhat puzzled that people here seem to be refusing to acknowledge that the two can be distinguished
        AnthonyMouse 5y ago
        The "I know it when I see it" rule works right up to the point that you start enforcing it and Goodhart's Law crushes it into dust. Then all the terrorists you encounter are carrying ornithology equipment because their organization's lawyers told them to and/or actual ornithologists go to prison because they also bought some fireworks for independence day or have a cousin who lives in Iran.
  - jjoonathan 5y ago
vegetablepotpie 5y ago
> friendly companies, those with the appropriate security clearances, still benefit from the shared knowledge. But access to classified information isn’t just granted by a clearance, you also require need to know. This is to prevent (in theory) anyone with a clearance from looking at every piece of classified info they feel like, which would be an operational security risk. Having a pool of classified patents that are shared freely with only cleared people working at defense contractors would violate that safeguard.

FpUser 5y ago

>"If, sitting in your garage/basement, you invent a tech covered by a secret patent then you will be getting a job offer." Or being told to shut up and get lost. And can't sue back because the lawsuit will be dismissed on the basis of national security.

dylan604 5y ago
Or knocks on the door from a couple of agents informing you that you are doing something you should not be doing as a private individual. Surely, if you are, you must be a subversive which is the total point of the conversation you'd be having.
- FpUser 5y ago
  >"Surely, if you are, you must be a subversive" You sound like KGB. Person can invent tech for what them thinks is a totally peaceful purpose and have no idea that it has high military value in some specific field. Fucking witch hunt attitude.
seoaeu 5y ago
I mean, if you're developing a missile guidance system or something that you do not intend to be used by your country's military, then I'd hope you have a very good explanation of who you do intend to use said technology. And if not, "shut up and get lost" seems like a pretty mild reaction...
- R0b0t1 5y ago
  Are people not remembering the issues with PGP?
  - seoaeu 5y ago
    The issue with PGP was that encrypted communications were classified as a munition, not the concept of export controls. There is no civilian use for an air-to-air missile guidance system. There are plenty of private individuals with legitimate reasons to use encryption
    - AnthonyMouse 5y ago
      > There is no civilian use for an air-to-air missile guidance system. People say things like this and then it turns out to be useful for ornithologists who want to use drones to tag wild birds. You never know what something is useful for until somebody uses it for that.
      - seoaeu 5y ago
        It really shouldn't be very hard to tell whether a garage lab is a terror cell trying to shoot down passenger airlines, or a bunch of ornithologists trying to do better wildlife tracking. Honestly, I'm somewhat puzzled that people here seem to be refusing to acknowledge that the two can be distinguished
        AnthonyMouse 5y ago
        The "I know it when I see it" rule works right up to the point that you start enforcing it and Goodhart's Law crushes it into dust. Then all the terrorists you encounter are carrying ornithology equipment because their organization's lawyers told them to and/or actual ornithologists go to prison because they also bought some fireworks for independence day or have a cousin who lives in Iran.
- jjoonathan 5y ago

vegetablepotpie 5y ago

> friendly companies, those with the appropriate security clearances, still benefit from the shared knowledge. But access to classified information isn’t just granted by a clearance, you also require need to know. This is to prevent (in theory) anyone with a clearance from looking at every piece of classified info they feel like, which would be an operational security risk. Having a pool of classified patents that are shared freely with only cleared people working at defense contractors would violate that safeguard.