This month the US Federal Government told inventors around the world that they need not bother inventing anything that could be useful in fighting the war on terrorism or protecting national security. If you do it anyway and the US government wants your invention, they will just steal it from you. They don't need to pay you. Oh, did I mention that a federal contractor might make a bundle of dough off your invention as well? All without your approval or compensating you one cent.
This is just the sort of encouragement governments are so good at. And I'm sure the US government will be fine with India doing the same thing. India, which has a long history of violating US drug patents, could conceivably begin using this same common law technique anytime the US criticizes them for drug patent infringement : "Oh yeah, we're stealing those drugs. x% our population dying of AIDS would clearly be a national security issue you know." That should pretty much put an end to any US complaints about the knock off HIV/AIDS drugs they're manufacturing. After all, if the US government can steal at will (just by claiming "national security"), why shouldn't every other nation? China is probably churning out knock-off Lipitor right now. http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,68894,00.html
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