this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2025
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You Should Know

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[–] cAUzapNEAGLb@lemmy.world 176 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (21 children)

secrecy orders have been imposed not only on inventions affecting military defense but also on those alleged to threaten economic stability, with critics noting that many such restrictions rest on speculative or unproven harms.

But also

The law applies broadly to all inventions in the United States for which a patent is filed or granted (35 U.S.C. § 181).

So if you really do have a society changing invention - one that could upset this capitalist or neoliberal world order - it is your duty to publically release it and not patent it

[–] Mac@mander.xyz 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They'll suppress it unless they can make money off it like crypto or "AI".

[–] survirtual@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Bitcoin was publicly released with full code and no pre-mining. It could not be patented for this reason.

The original creator is still unknown and has never moved their coins.

This strategy is the way.

[–] Mac@mander.xyz 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yo.
Thanks for curing me of my ignorance, i had no idea. I'm going to have to read more about this! I always thought crypto was cool in theory, unfortunate the state of its practice.

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[–] mean_bean279@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I suspect the “threatens economic stability” is stuff like printers that can produce dollars and the type of paper/thread/plastic material that makes up modern currency. I think people are looking for a conspiracy here when it’s just a logical choice. Some things people shouldn’t have a playbook on how to create.

[–] Squizzy@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

The US government fought encryption beyond the millenium. Pretty much still is as it gains backdoors everywhere.

[–] Jumbie@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is the plot of The Saint and now I have to watch it again.

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[–] mrductape@eviltoast.org 113 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Anyone want to bet that there are inventions that are great but would cost some people serious money and that's why we're not seeing them?

[–] Manjushri@piefed.social 104 points 1 week ago

Not taking that bet. From the linked wikipedia page.

According to reporting in Wired and Slate, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has at times considered applying secrecy orders to inventions deemed disruptive to established industries.

You may be sure that there are times when they did more than consider it.

[–] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 week ago

It looks like they fuck over inventors.

Most of these appear to be for government projects such as with the Department of Defense and the NSA.

Sometimes, a regular invention outside of government contacts gets labeled with this and the government don’t pay for it. The inventor isn’t allowed to talk about it so they get fucked out of any income.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 43 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Oh good, apparently my late father's Folding Crossbow isn't a restricted patent..

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4926834A/en

I still posess the prototype, albeit a bit damaged now.

[–] Stamau123@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

that's cool. Seems a bit 'busy' for something that should be foldable

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Honestly it is a bit busy, like feature creep.

The lower stock and left bow are unfortunately now broken, but I want to do my best to restore it eventually.

I've already collected feathers and a new rifle scope, I just need an antique Volkswagen leaf spring...

Yeah you think this is a witch stew, but it isn't. These are the parts I need to properly fix my dad's invention.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Like an air cooled fiberglass engine that runs on water, man!?

[–] GhostPain@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Water? Brother that's 50's tech.

We're on to Cold Fusion reactors the size of your fist, SRO high-entropy alloys, and room temp superconductors.

:D

[–] turdcollector69@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Really though.

I've been saying it for a while, even if we figured out fusion, it wouldn't see the light of day.

The petrodollar would tank in value because fusion is obviously superior to gasoline/petrol.

It would be the end of the US currency if petroleum were to be replaced.

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[–] nulluser@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago (9 children)

6543 inventions are currently suppressed.

Like what?

/s

[–] Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Pills that actually make your wang the size of an elephant trunk while making it prehensile.

[–] thesohoriots@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] Unlearned9545@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I wouldn't be surprised if most of them have to do with rocketry or bioweapons and other things to make them work. I've designed things personally that are not destructive themselves but aid in testing or improving accuracy of hypersonic vehicles. The DOW (formerly DOD) did not allow us to apply for patents due to national security.

[–] Burninator05@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The DoD is still the DoD. DoW is its preferred name.

[–] AniZaeger@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Preferred by the same people who think that trans individuals using their own preferred names are committing a literal crime

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[–] GhostPain@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Successfully dividing by zero.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

*lights lighting up on NSA dashboard*

[–] HeartyOfGlass@piefed.social 6 points 1 week ago

My flying boots, for one.

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[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago

and the politicians pinky promise they won't use it for market manipulation… pinky promise

[–] regedit@lemmy.zip 24 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I always wondered what happened to all the neat reports of cars that ran on old oil or could get 50mpg in the 50s. Guess they were too disruptive. We can't have nice things. 😮‍💨

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 week ago

Cars that run on old oil are basically just diesel engines. It's also pretty easy to get a vehicle with high fuel efficiency, it's really hard to get one that also meets emission standards and doesn't kill you in a crash.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 week ago

A lot of those claims are just direct horse shit in the "infinite energy" category, or "this car runs on water"

[–] BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk 7 points 1 week ago

Lol, early 2000s diesels can get 60+mph

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I mean, if some dude invented a neutron bomb in his garage, how would they know until it's too late? 🤔

[–] BanMe@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago

They do have networks of radiation sensors and reporters because of the guy who built an atomic device out of smoke detectors, giving himself and others radiation poisoning. Also, there have been some nuclear weapons go a tiny bit permanently missing, and suitcase-size dirty bombs were a huge scare for a hot minute, etc etc.

Honestly it's really shocking we escaped the past century alive.

[–] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Patents Granted To Two Formerly Secret Inventions

I have now fallen into a hole and will research this indefinitely.

Here’s a story about a guy who figured out how to track stealth planes: Congratulations, Your Genius Patent Is Now a Military Secret

[–] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Also in 2016, there were 5,680 patents according to this site. Yikes. That’s a big increase.

Invention Secrecy Increased In 2016

[–] slickgoat@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Where's this "Land of the Free" that I keep hearing about?

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

You can set up a genetic engineering lab for under 5000 bucks in your garage, and I would prefer you not being able to google how to DIY some super-ebola, thank you very much.

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[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] dickalan@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Yes this video destroyed me and made me realize that any life-changing awesome invention would surely be suppressed

[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Literally does make sense. You don't want the how to for building a good gyroscope out there(too much). Some bits and pieces are really hard to get working well. And when you do you get great ICBMs. Still might want to patent it.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Yeah, let's voluntarily lower the quality of all of our lives simply to give some minute advantage in the geopolitical chess game.

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[–] Unlearned9545@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yes, exactly. I used to design tools to test these and we weren't allowed to patent them, but I think some of the high level concepts were secret patents though I can't know that.

For anyone wondering the thing ICBMs (and jet planes) use is called a gyroscope and gives the same output but it isn't a "spinning top" gyro that you might be thinking of. Rather think super sensitive dynamo, or reversed motor. Tiny rotation turns into voltage signal.

There is an even newer type that uses laser but I don't know anything about it.

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