35 U.S.C. § 187 — Nonapplicability to certain persons

This section carves out an exception to this chapter's rules and penalties (the rules on foreign filing licenses and secrecy orders in the surrounding sections). Those rules and penalties don't apply to a U.S. government officer or agent, as long as they're acting within the authority their job gives them. The exception also covers anyone else acting under that officer's written instructions or written permission. Anyone outside those two groups is still subject to the chapter's normal rules.