AT&T Co’s Bell Laboratories is to sign 100 scientists and technicians working on fibre optic technology at the General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow to one-year renewable contracts: the team is a world leader in high-strength optical fibres: the contract covers the salaries of the Russian researchers and funds to pay for laboratory supplies and equipment and travel costs so the Russians can visit the US; the total value of the contract is several hundred thousand dollars; under the agreement, the Russian institute will retain patent rights on its developments within Russia while Bell Labs holds the patent rights for the rest of the world.
