Most patented inventions turn out to be impractical or ineffective. That a specific patented invention is used by the US military is a very valuable piece of information.
Legally, though, releasing classified information isn’t necessarily a crime, right? It is a crime if you have a security clearance, and intentionally leak information it was your duty to protect.
But, for example, while Edward Snowden is on the run for leaking NSA secrets, the journalists at the Washington Post who published his leaks are in the clear, because they never had a clearance and it was never their duty to prevent that information from becoming public.
So an author or engineer who independently created a design which happened to be classified would not have any legal problems, assuming they couldn’t prove he stole the info from the government?
But where exactly is the line? Suppose I’m strolling through the park in Washington one day, and some papers blow across my path, and it turns out they’re military plans for a doomsday machine? Does it even matter if they’re stamped “TOP SECRET”? Could I hand off the plans to a journalist? A machinist? A Chinese engineering company? Russia? Does it even matter if I have a clearance or not, since these particular papers were never under my protection, and they were already strewn across a public park when I found them?
Not a weapon system, but a company that manufactured medical equipment contacted the producers of the original Star Trek series because they had been trying to come up with some non-obnoxious alarm that you also couldn’t ignore; they heard the beeps coming from the medical scanners, tricorders & communicators and wanted to know how they made those noises…
Well, not really. It’s true that in 1914, H.G. Wells published a novel titled The World Set Free which features weapons referred to as “atomic bombs”. But even though Wells gives a little (fictional, of course) information about the physics of these weapons, they are so very different from actual nuclear weapons that it is fair to say that they have only the name in common. In Wells’ novel, the peculiar feature was that his “atomic bombs” were exploding continuously; they would not go off in a single burst but rather keep delivering their destructive blasts for long periods. They are, however, not particularly strong as far as the mere power of the explosion is concerned, and they are not delivered by means of missiles or airplanes but rather thrown as a hand grenade.
The Wikipedia article does quite a good job at succinctly comparing Wells’ “atomic bombs” with the real-world thing. The one thing which Wells did get right was the radioactive contamination which would stay behind after use of these weapons, but the way they are used in warfare is very different from the real thing.
wouldn’t the "this is a work of fiction anything that might be comparable in real life is coincidence " tag help that?
The names of some of the Seals, the stealthy helicopter and the four-tube NVGs came out. What else in terms of tech or tactics came out as a result of that?
We don’t know for sure, but it was obviously significant or the filmmakers wouldn’t have been threatened with prosecution. Authoritatively confirming these would in essence be revealing more information, so it’s no surprise the allegations are somewhat generalized. However one possible item was detailed depictions of interrogation techniques: 2/18 Session: Trying to Finish Classification Review “Within the Lives of Living Men” and Zero Dark Thirty Discovery | Lawfare
I think my problem with the OP is that general concepts aren’t always classified, it’s the nitty-gritty details that are …
Let’s take the Manhattan Project for an example … both the occurrence of nuclear fission and the principles of chain reactions were in the public domain … what was classified was how to go from uranium ore to atomic bomb … and all the details that went into to that process makes for particularly poor story-telling (c.f. Clan of the Cave Bear) … imagine an episode or twelve of Star Trek that was only about how photon torpedoes work? … boring stuff to be sure …
When were they threatened with prosecution?
From the Wiki article on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1946 classic espionage thriller Notorious:
…Among the many changes to the original story was the introduction of a MacGuffin: a cache of uranium being held in Sebastian’s wine cellar by the Nazis. At the time, it was not common knowledge that uranium was being used in the development of the atomic bomb, and Selznick had trouble understanding its use as a plot device. Indeed, Hitchcock later claimed he was followed by the FBI for several months after he and Hecht discussed uranium with Robert Millikan at Caltech in mid-1945. In any event, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the release of details of the Manhattan Project, removed any doubts about its use…
He wasn’t just an author though. He was a radar specialist during WWII, had a physics degree, and was the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society.
Described here. Technically it was for actions to obtain the information, not for publishing the information in a film: Tequila, Painted Pearls, and Prada — How the CIA Helped Produce 'Zero Dark Thirty'
Exapno, that’s a well-researched, engaging read – congrats! Funny how Superman had to be told to take things in a different direction.
I’m currently reading Dan Zak’s Almighty, which well describes exactly how secrecy was (and, in some ways, continues to be) such a part of everyday life in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Thanks! A lot of work went into it so I’m glad it turned out successfully.
What if it isn’t a coincidental invention, but a scientific/mathematical discovery?
Suppose I come up with a way to crack codes by factoring large primes into/out of Public Keys, or tap into Quantum Entangled transmissions.
I don’t actually break into classified files…I just publish my creation.
I can imagine some shadowy three-letter government agency getting uncomfortably interested in me.
True, but the government CAN unilaterally classify a patent application even if the inventor doesn’t work for the government. Come up with some spiffy cryptography whatsis, apply for a patent, and the NSA squashes it and it becomes a crime for you to even discuss your brand new invention.
If you’re publishing a story or article the problem for the government is that the information is already public, unlike a patent application which would not. So it won’t do them any good to classify your science fiction novel once it’s on the shelves.
That F-19 one ended up looking nothing like the actual F-117 stealth fighter. I remember that model very well (and there was tons of press at the time and even video games assuming that smooth, “liquid” type of look). The Testors Mig-37 “Ferret” Soviet stealth fighter ended up being somewhat closer with its angular design, but both missed the mark.
That Honda commercial looked pretty close, though.
Arthur C. Clarke’s Stiletto weapon from Earthlight might count. It was a electromagnetically launched jet of molten metal, something DARPA has been working on under the name MAHEM* for years.
Funny thing is, Clarke didn’t think the idea would work. He just wanted something that would create a bright, visible “beam” in vacuum.
- And I bet they put in some effort to work out that acronym.
As I understand the 1951 secrecy act, the government can classify any patent application that it deems to be sensitive.
OK, what would happen if I develop a new anti-gravity device and hold a big surprise demonstration for the world to see. And I do this without submitting any patent application. Would the Government rush on over to the demonstration and throw a big tarp over my anti-gravity plane? Would they warn me that if I ever tried to patent the idea it would disappear? What if I patented the idea in Germany or Japan-countries where we have reciprocal patent treaties?
I guess the Government would be very displeased with me for not telling them first, but OTOH I don’t see the advantage to me to have my bright idea seized by the Government.
Have I broken any laws? Could I start selling my anti-gravity planes to the public? I realize that getting FAA approval might turn out to be difficult…
I wish I needed an answer fast. 
I’d be a lot more worried about Bond villains than the government if I were you. Your life is essentially over as soon as you go public. But what’s left of it will be a lot more pleasant if you throw yourself on the mercy of the NSA.