That's what I would have thought, but then I DuckDuckGo'ed it (awkward!)... http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/07/30/the-nsas-patents-in-one-searchable-database/ ht

That's what I would have thought, but then I DuckDuckGo'ed it (awkward!)... http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/07/30/the-nsas-patents-in-one-searchable-database/ http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/07/30/the-nsas-patents-in-one-... Also, from https://www.nsa.gov/research/tnw/tnw193/articles/pdfs/TNW193_article4.pdf https://www.nsa.gov/research/tnw/tnw193/articles/pdfs/TNW193... (PDF): > You may be surprised to hear that NSA seeks patents. However, many of the technologies developed by NSA not only satisfy mission requirements, but also have great potential for commercial use. Following extensive review, NSA may seek patent protection for such technologies as a way to protect and build on the US government’s (USG) investment in research and development.