BRIEFS.

This article presents news related to computing. West Germany's recently enacted law, allowing the use of microfilm as a substitute for original documents, is believed to make the Federal Republic the first nation in the world to enact such a statute. Previously, the government required that originals be saved for period of seven years. The law is expected to affect industry and government agencies alike. Weekly number and football lotteries, for example, will be affected, with space and handling requirements cut sharply. Banks too will have storage problems eased. One West German bank, for instance, formerly required 500,000 files for documents. With microfilm, this space load has been cut to less than one cubic meter, or the equivalent of 12,500 packages of cigarettes. It is estimated that, nationwide, filing space requirements alone will be reduced 98 percent. In a precedent-making decision, the Comptroller General of the U.S. has authorized Federal agencies to use purchase-leaseback method to reduce rentals on automatic data processing system (ADP). In essence. Federal departments are now permitted to purchase ADP equipment from the manufacturer, sell it to a leasing company and rent it back from the leasing outfit.