§ 5308. Protection of proprietary rights

• (a) No trade secrets or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential, under the meaning of section 552(b)(4) of title 5 , which is obtained from a company as a result of activities under this chapter shall be disclosed.
• (b) The Secretary, for a period of up to 5 years after the development of information that—
  • (1) results from research and development activities conducted under this chapter; and
  • (2) would be a trade secret or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential, under the meaning of section 552(b)(4) of title 5 , if the information had been obtained from a company,
• (c) With respect to patent rights, the Institutes shall be treated in the same manner as are nonprofit organizations and small business firms under chapter 18 of title 35, notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in that chapter.