European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 17, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes Friday february 17,1989 4 Little words May Cost firm $270 million paper says los Angeles a the absence of four words in a Legal settlement could Cost Hughes aircraft co. Up to $270 million in its 18-year Patent infringement Law suit against the Federal government a newspaper re ported thursday. . Claims judge William Turner ruled that the omission of the words except the United states in a 1987 settlement Between Hughes and Ford motor co. Freed the government from liability regarding 13 government satellites built by a Ford subsidiary the los Angeles times reported. Turner s ruling issued last september was published recently in the Patent Law journal . Patent quarterly. Hughes had sued both the government and Ford aerospace a unit of Ford motor co., for Patent infringement of a device used to control orbiting satellites. However Hughes and Ford settled for $75 million in september 1987, and the settlement absolved Ford customers from liability. Because the United states was a Ford customer and the phrase except the United states was omitted from the settlement it cannot be held liable for the 13 satellites Ford aerospace built for it Turner ruled. Hughes an aerospace firm and subsidiary of Gener Al motors corp., claims the government used the orbit ing control device on 108 satellites without paying required royalties. It is seeking $3.16 billion in dam Ages according to court documents. Government attorneys have said that Hughes has overblown its claims and that it does t possess a valid Patent. Hughes is seeking a 15 percent Royalty of the Cost of the government satellites in addition to other compensation. The royalties and delay compensation on those 13 satellites represent $270 million Worth of claims against the government according to a secret court filing Hughes made oct. 7, the newspaper reported. But under the Justice department s method of valuing the satellites the 13 spacecraft might be Worth Only $50 million. Hughes officials refused to comment thursday be cause the matter concerned litigation said Mike Mur Phy a spokesman at the company s corporate head quarters. John Walker managing partner at Latham & Watkins the Law firm representing Hughes in the Case said his firm made no such error. Yeutter charged with leveling of Trade barriers Washington a president Bush said thursday that reducing barriers to world Trade has top priority and that he expects agriculture Secretary Clayton Yeutter to make sure our objectives in agriculture Are  Bush at a formal swearing in of Yeutter As Agri culture Secretary said he meant business in a Campaign Promise to level the playing Field so that american products can flow freely in world Trade. We be got to Knock Down barriers and we will relentlessly pursue negotiations to end subsidies that distort markets and that restrict Trade the president said. Fair free and open world markets that s what we want that s what we re working for and in the end that s what we Are determined to  Bush said Yeutter had an outstanding ten ure for 3 /2 years As former president Reagan s Trade representative. Yeutter was confirmed unanimously by the Senate on feb. 8 and later in the Day was officially sworn in without ceremony at the agriculture department. Kentuckians Battle worst floods in 10 years Frankfort by. A floodwaters that drove hundreds of people from their Homes closed roads an toppled a Railroad Bridge Rose thursday to their High est Levels in 10 years or More although rainfall eased off after four straight Days. At 9 a.m., the Kentucky River at Frankfort was at 43.3 feet 12.3 feet above flood level and rising at0.2 feet per hour. The National weather service at Louisville predicted a Crest of 44 feet for late thursday which would still be 4.7 feet below the level of water that devastated the capital in Decem Ber 1978. National guard troops were called out with truck Sand equipment after gov. Wallace Wilkinson declared a state of emergency on wednesday. Though rainfall tapered off thursday in most parts of the state flooding will remain a major problem particularly for people living in Low lying areas and for motorists the weather service said. In neighbouring Tennessee the weather service can celeb a Flash flood watch after Only Light rainfall was reported overnight and in West Virginia minor flood ing was reported and several Rivers were expected to Crest at or near flood stage. But the flo9ding was most severe in Kentucky where rainfall in the Central and Western parts of Testate since sunday has totalled up to 9 inches sending the Kentucky Licking Salt Green Barren and rough Rivers crashing out of their Banks. At least 650 people were evacuated including about140 in Lebanon Junction in bullitt county and 100 in Frankfort said the state division of disaster and emergency services. Elsewhere a Cox Railroad trestle across the rolling Fork of the Salt River was swept away at new Haven and scores of roads and tens of schools in the state were closed because of High water. No fatalities were reported wednesday. But three people drowned tuesday and a fourth was missing and presumed drowned. Kevin Alexander left of Benton by electric co. Conducts business Over a customer s truck Hood to avoid the flood. . Orders review of Navy computer contracts Washington a the govern ment is limiting the Navy s authority toward computer contracts after six companies complained that the service was unfairly partial to International business machines corp. The general services administration which oversees government buying said wednesday it will require the Navy for minimum of 60 Days to submit for re View any computer Purchase in excess of $2.5 million. Previously Gas let the Navy award computer contracts of up to $ 10 million. This action clearly shows the administrator s intent to increase Gas s Over sight Over Navy computer buys and to fully cooperate with our committee s investigation into alleged favouritism to Ward ism s systems said rep. Joh Conyers jr., d-mich., of the House com Mittee on government operations. The panel which has been investigating the Way computer contracts Are awarded asked the government Las week to restrict the Navy s authority. Conyers cited government statistics indicating that ism holds almost 55 per cent of the Navy s Large scale computer base compared with the company s 37percent share throughout the govern ment. The committee had received complaint last november from six ism competitors saying they have been fro zen out of much of the Navy s Multi Bil lion Dollar computer Market. The companies complained in a letter to former defense Secretary Frank car Lucci that Navy procurement official Shad tailored the bid specifications so that Only ism could win even though Man of the companies offer clones or duplicates of ism systems at lower prices. The five Page letter was signed by executives of the Amdahl corp., memo Rex corp., Pacific Orp capital inc., vion corp., nor Compten and storage technology corp. A Navy spokesman said wednesday that the service would have no comment until it reviewed the Gas decision. The House committee also has asked the general accounting office the investigative of Congress to look int complaints that Federal agencies Are restricting their computer procurement to favor ism. The Gao was asked last week to sup ply to the committee within 60 Days a evaluation on the extent of procurement by Federal agencies of ism code Compa Tible systems. With expenditures of about $17.4 Bil lion last year on computer communications and data processing equipment an services the government is the Industry s largest single purchaser