N.Z. rights to technology

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 28

N.Z. rights to technology

Parliamentary reporter New Zealand does have ongoing rights to the synthetic fuel development and technological advances made at the synthetic petrol plant at Motunui in north Taranaki, according to the Minister of Energy, Mr Birch. Mr D. F. Caygill (Lab., St Albans) asked if New Zealand had any rights to the technological advances and improvements associated with the plant and, if so,

what these rights were. Mr Caygill also asked if any agreement had been reached with Mobil over how much it should pay New Zealand for the right to transfer technological improvements from Motonui to similar plants in the future in other parts of the world. Mr Birch said that under the MTG process licence agreement, all technological advances or improvements made by the New Zealand g Synthetic Fuels Corporation would be solely owned by the

company. The company might, however, grant to Mobil a nonexclusive and non-transfer-able licence to use its existing and future patents over the process licensed under the agreement. Mobil might subsequently make this information available to its own affiliates or licensees on the condition that they gave Mobil and the company access to their own patents and technical information, he said.