Budget law forces scientists to release data gathered while using federal grants

The 1998 federal budget bill included a provision requiring scientists given federal grants to release their data on request to any taxpayer. Scientists feel this will permit harassment and ignores their rights to intellectual property, and that large corporations will have the opportunity to undermine research results that conflict with business goals.
Researchers blast the provision, which they say opens them up to harassment and deprives them of intellectual property WASHINGTON WHEN Sen. Richard C. Shelby, an Alabama Republican, quietly tucked a [...]