republic-os/legal/us/code/title-42/chapter-23/section-2181.md

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LegalText	42 U.S.C. § 2181	Inventions relating to atomic weapons, and filing of reports	us	united_states_code	code_section	42	THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE	23	DEVELOPMENT AND CONTROL OF ATOMIC ENERGY	2181	42 U.S.C. § 2181	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc42@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t42/s2181	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-42/usc42.xml	abfe55dccc9ee20d0954bb033a107472e20fc89fc117a99e803041fb7597ff4f	644321055a08eb1f260a6a3e31ac157fa024756abf612a9fd6857e7e400cf24e	ed50c9bb2f79ea566dfc140ac281b05d292e2a1960c24f139c201d8deb91cf97	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

42 U.S.C. § 2181 - Inventions relating to atomic weapons, and filing of reports

Text

(a) Denial of patent; revocation of prior patents No patent shall hereafter be granted for any invention or discovery which is useful solely in the utilization of special nuclear material or atomic energy in an atomic weapon. Any patent granted for any such invention or discovery is revoked, and just compensation shall be made therefor.

(b) Denial of rights; revocation of prior rights No patent hereafter granted shall confer any rights with respect to any invention or discovery to the extent that such invention or discovery is used in the utilization of special nuclear material or atomic energy in atomic weapons. Any rights conferred by any patent heretofore granted for any invention or discovery are revoked to the extent that such invention or discovery is so used, and just compensation shall be made therefor.

(c) Report of invention to Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Any person who has made or hereafter makes any invention or discovery useful in the production or utilization of special nuclear material or atomic energy, shall file with the Commission a report containing a complete description thereof unless such invention or discovery is described in an application for a patent filed with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office by such person within the time required for the filing of such report. The report covering any such invention or discovery shall be filed on or before the one hundred and eightieth day after such person first discovers or first has reason to believe that such invention or discovery is useful in such production or utilization.

(d) Report to Commission by Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office shall notify the Commission of all applications for patents heretofore or hereafter filed which, in his opinion, disclose inventions or discoveries required to be reported under subsection (c), and shall provide the Commission access to all such applications.

(e) Confidential information; circumstances permitting disclosure Reports filed pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, and applications to which access is provided under subsection (d) of this section, shall be kept in confidence by the Commission, and no information concerning the same given without authority of the inventor or owner unless necessary to carry out the provisions of any Act of Congress or in such special circumstances as may be determined by the Commission.

(Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, title I, § 151, as added Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, § 1, 68 Stat. 943; amended Pub. L. 87–206, §§ 7–9, Sept. 6, 1961, 75 Stat. 477; renumbered title I, Pub. L. 102–486, title IX, § 902(a)(8), Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 2944; Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, § 1000(a)(9) [title IV, § 4732(b)(18)], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1536, 1501A–585.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

Prior ProvisionsProvisions similar to this section were contained in section 1811(a) of this title, prior to the general amendment and renumbering of act Aug. 1, 1946, by act Aug. 30, 1954.

Amendments1999—Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 106–113 substituted “Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office” for “Commissioner of Patents”. 1961—Pub. L. 87–206, § 7, substituted provision concerning inventions relating to atomic weapons and filing of reports for provision relating to military utilization in section catchline. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 87–206, § 8, struck out designation as cl. (1) of provision relating to production or utilization of special nuclear material or atomic energy and cls. (2) and (3) relating to utilization of special nuclear material in an atomic weapon and utilization of atomic energy in an atomic weapon, respectively, and substituted “the one hundred and eightieth day” for “whichever of the following is the later: either the ninetieth day after completion of such invention or discovery; or the ninetieth day”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 87–206, § 9, added subsec. (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1999 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 106–113 effective 4 months after Nov. 29, 1999, see section 1000(a)(9) [title IV, § 4731] of Pub. L. 106–113, set out as a note under section 1 of Title 35, Patents.

Emergency Relief From Postal Situation Affecting Atomic Energy CasesExcusal of delayed fees or actions affected by postal situation beginning on Mar. 18, 1970, and ending on or about Mar. 30, 1970, see note set out under section 111 of Title 35, Patents.