Unfortunately, states these days rarely do anything on their own. So even if they bought or took the IP, they'd still have to lend it to some private manufacturer, who will quickly ensure the government itself ends up locked into a subscription. Either way, some private company gets fat, and society gets shafted: you'll be paying a subscription for this, whether directly to a vendor, or hidden as part of your taxes.

Like usual, the problem isn't whose name is on the box. The problem is the subscription-based business model, which can easily turn into pure rent seeking.

Why purchase the IP at all? The proposed funding is for parallel reconstruction - we know it's possible, we have enough details to recreate it, it's a "simple matter of funding" at that point.

What is the IP doing now? If it's abandoned what value does it actually have in the marketplace?

Theres no real reason to reward squatting on world changing tech, is there?

While there is some work and capital that goes in to developing the IP, it also builds up on decades of fundamental research that is funded by the public (standing on the shoulders of giants and all that). Therefore, I'd say that a big discount should be had for such a purchase.

What is the difference? When something is "taken" they still get ample compensation.

If free market can't get this done, maybe we should just pay people from our taxes to do such research?

The IP is effectively valueless if there is no intent to monetize it.

Really....

It would incentivize them to use or lose it.

The government is protecting their discovery via patent law, why is it not allowed to remove this protection.

Patents and copyright are very recent inventions. Not everyone is motivated by profit. People were inventing things before capitalism consumed the world.