necessary for carrying out these processes on a commercial scale 
and for producing from them the products that ultimately define such 
contributions of recombinant DNA research to the public. 
The early public disclosure that would result from the sub- 
mission of research hypotheses, designs and protocols and of data as 
work progresses, without protection against its public dissemination, 
would frequently preclude later patent protection otherwise available 
to the university for licensing to a commercial organization that 
would carry the work forward. This, in turn, would limit the 
feasibility of commercial investment in research and production 
facilities. «e therefore express a common concern with the academic 
community that lack of confidentiality would dissipate the rights 
that would later form the basis for bringing the fruits of this 
research into practical use for the benefit of the public. 
As a general feature of the revision, then, we recommend the 
insertion of an acknowledgment that premature disclosure of hypotheses, 
protocols, designs, data, or other research results will have a 
discouraging effect on research incentives. In identifying such 
disclosures, we differentiate between those findings which provide 
for greater safety and consistency in the conduct of recombinant 
DNA research--and those which embody the potential for commercial 
use through production of a desirable product. It is important not 
to unduly restrict the former while protecting the latter. 
[Appendix A — 39] 
