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cluding historians, genealogists and other scholars to carry out extensive research and complete copying of all records containing government data except as otherwise provided by law. A responsible authority may designate one or more designees. Subd. 3. Request for access to data. Upon request to a responsible authority or designee, a person shall be permitted to inspect and copy public government data at reasonable times and places, and, upon request, shall be informed of the data's meaning. If a person requests access for the purpose of inspection, the responsible authority may not assess a charge or require the requesting person to pay a fee to inspect data. The responsible authority or designee shall pro- vide copies of public government data upon request. If a person requests copies,the responsible authority may require the requesting person to pay the actual costs of searching for and re- tneving government data and for making, certifying and compiling the copies of the data but may not charge for separating public from not public data. If the responsible authority or de- signee is not able to provide copies at the time a request is made, copies shall be supplied as soon as reasonably possible. When a request under this subdivision involves any person's receipt of copies of public: government data that has commercial value and is an entire formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique; process, data base, or system developed with a significant expenditure of public funds by the agency, the responsible authority may charge a reasonable fee for the information in addition to the costs of making, certifying, and compiling the copies. Any fee charged must be clearly demonstrated by the agency to relate to the actual development costs of the information. The responsible authority, upon the request of any person, shall provide sufficient documentation to explain and justify the fee being charged. • If the responsible authority or designee determines that the requested data is classified so as to deny the requesting person access, the responsible authority or designee shall inform the requesting person of the determination either orally at the time of the request, or in writing as soon after that time as possible, and shall cite the specific statutory section, temporary classi- fication, or specific provision of federal law on which the determination is based. Upon the re- quest of any person denied access to data, the responsible authority or designee shall certify in writing that the request has been denied and cite the specific statutory section, temporary clas- sification, or specific provision of federal law upon which the denial was based. Subd. 4. Change in classification of data. The classification of data in the possession of an agency shall change if it is required to do so to comply with either judicial or administrative rules pertaining to the conduct of legal actions or with a specific statute applicable to the data in the possession of the disseminating or receiving agency. If data on individuals is classified as both private and confidential by this chapter, or any other statute or federal law, the data is private. To the extent that government data is disseminated to state agencies, political subdivisions, or statewide systems by another state agency, political subdivision, or statewide system, the data disseminated shall have the same classification in the hands of the agency receiving it as it had in the hands of the entity providing it. Subd. 5. Copyright or patent of computer program. Nothing in this chapter or any other statute shall be construed to prevent a state agency, statewide system, or political subdivision -4-