Industrial nuclear property

The first requests for patents for the use of nuclear power filed in France in 1939. This paper reviews the regulations on industrial nuclear property in various countries. The patenting system in several socialist countries is characterized by the fact that inventions on the production and use of radioactive materials may not be patented. This equally applies in India. In the United States, this type of invention may be patented except for those involving military uses and which must be notified to the federal authorities. In France, all industrial nuclear property is grouped under the same body, Brevatome, created in 1958, which enables the allocation of rights to be negotiated between the different interested parties, the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Electricite de France (EDF) and private industry. Under the Euratom Treaty, all inventions, even those governed by secrecy in Member countries, must be communicated to the Commission of the European Communities. (NEA)