HL Deb 12 November 1985 vol 468 cc259-60WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government: What provisions about:

  1. (a) confidentiality, both towards other countries and towards United States industry;
  2. (b) patent arrangements; and
  3. (c) compliance with the ABM Treaty, the Camp David Four Points, and other relevant international agreements,

are to apply to:

  1. (i) United States funded SDI research done by British firms;
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  3. (ii) United Kingdom Government and/or European Space Agency funded research under the International Solar Terrestrial Physics Programme;
  4. (iii) Other United Kingdom and/or European Space Agency funded research, tests, or demonstrations carried out on satellites launched by NASA;
  5. (iv) United States funded SDI research, tests or demonstrations carried out in or with European-built equipment on NASA launches (including the European Space Laboratory module's mission planned for June 1987).

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Lucas of Chilworth)

The terms of technology transfer, intellectual property rights and similar issues for any joint space research and development programme will be governed by the agreements setting up the programme, which will generally be inter-agency. In negotiating such agreements, Her Majesty's Government are always conscious of the need to ensure that any transfer of technological knowledge overseas from UK firms is matched by the greatest possible flow of knowledge inwards from other countries. As for participation by the UK in the US SDI research programme, this is still under discussion and an announcement will be made as soon as we are able to do so.