Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement
Part 227—Patents, Data, and Copyrights
SUBPART 227.71--RIGHTS IN TECHNICAL DATA
(Revised December 28, 2017)
227.7100 Scope of subpart.
This subpart—
(a) Prescribes policies and procedures for the acquisition of technical data and the rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose technical data. It implements requirements in the following laws and Executive Order:
(1) 10 U.S.C. 2302(4).
(2) 10 U.S.C. 2305 (subsection (d)(4)).
(3) 10 U.S.C. 2320.
(4) 10 U.S.C. 2321.
(5) 10 U.S.C. 2325.
(6) 10 U.S.C. 7317.
(7) 17 U.S.C. 1301, et seq.
(8) Pub. L. 103-355.
(9) Executive Order 12591 (Subsection 1(b)(6)).
(b) Does not apply to—
(1) Computer software or technical data that is computer software documentation (see subpart 227.72); or
(2) Releases of technical data to litigation support contractors (see subpart 204.74).
227.7101 Definitions.
(a) As used in this subpart, unless otherwise specifically indicated, the terms “offeror” and “contractor” include an offeror's or contractor's subcontractors, suppliers, or potential subcontractors or suppliers at any tier.
(b) Other terms used in this subpart are defined in the clause at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data–Noncommercial Items.
227.7102 Commercial items, components, or processes.
227.7102-1 Policy.
(a) DoD shall acquire only the technical data customarily provided to the public with a commercial item or process, except technical data that—
(1) Are form, fit, or function data;
(2) Are required for repair or maintenance of commercial items or processes, or for the proper installation, operating, or handling of a commercial item, either as a stand alone unit or as a part of a military system, when such data are not customarily provided to commercial users or the data provided to commercial users is not sufficient for military purposes; or
(3) Describe the modifications made at Government expense to a commercial item or process in order to meet the requirements of a Government solicitation.
(b) To encourage offerors and contractors to offer or use commercial products to satisfy military requirements, offerors and contractors shall not be required, except for the technical data described in paragraph (a) of this subsection, to—
(1) Furnish technical information related to commercial items or processes that is not customarily provided to the public; or
(2) Relinquish to, or otherwise provide, the Government rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose technical data pertaining to commercial items or processes except for a transfer of rights mutually agreed upon.
(c) The Government's rights in a vessel design, and in any useful article embodying a vessel design, must be consistent with the Government's rights in technical data pertaining to the design (10 U.S.C. 7317; 17 U.S.C. 1301(a)(3)).
227.7102-2 Rights in technical data.
(a) The clause at 252.227-7015, Technical Data–Commercial Items, provides theGovernment specific license rights in technical data pertaining to commercial items or processes. DoD may use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose data only within the Government. The data may not be used to manufacture additional quantities of the commercial items and, except for emergency repair or overhaul and forcovered Government support contractors,may not be released or disclosed to, or used by, third parties without the contractor's written permission. Those restrictions do not apply to the technical data described in 227.7102-1(a).
(b) If additional rights are needed, contracting activities must negotiate with the contractor to determine if there are acceptable terms for transferring such rights. The specific additional rights granted to the Government shall be enumerated in a license agreement made part of the contract.
227.7102-3 Government right to review, verify, challenge and validate asserted restrictions.
Follow the procedures at 227.7103-13 and the clause at 252.227-7037, Validation of Restrictive Markings on Technical Data, regarding the validation of asserted restrictions on technical data related to commercial items.
227.7102-4 Contract clauses.
(a)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, use the clause at
252.227-7015, Technical Data–Commercial Items, in solicitations and contracts, including solicitations and contracts using FAR part 12 procedures for the acquisition of commercial items, when the contractor will be required to deliver technical data
pertaining to commercial items, components, or processes.
(2) Use the clause at 252.227-7015 with its Alternate I in solicitations and contracts, including solicitations and contracts using FAR part 12 procedures for the acquisition of commercial items, for the development or delivery of a vessel design or any useful
article embodying a vessel design.
(b) In accordance with the clause prescription at 227.7103-6(a), use the clause at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data–Noncommercial Items, in addition to the clause at 252.227-7015, if the Government will have paid for any portion of the development costs of a commercial item. The clause at 252.227-7013 will govern the technical data pertaining to any portion of a commercial item that was developed in any part at Government expense, and the clause at 252.227-7015 will govern the technical data pertaining to any portion of a commercial item that was developed exclusively at private expense.
(c) Use the clause at 252.227-7037, Validation of Restrictive Markings on Technical Data, in solicitations and contracts using FAR part 12 procedures for the acquisition of commercial items that include the clause at 252.227-7015 or the clause
at 252.227-7013.
227.7103 Noncommercial items or processes.
227.7103-1 Policy.
(a) DoD policy is to acquire only the technical data, and the rights in that data, necessary to satisfy agency needs.
(b) Solicitations and contracts shall—
(1) Specify the technical data to be delivered under a contract and delivery schedules for the data;
(2) Establish or reference procedures for determining the acceptability of technical data;
(3) Establish separate contract line items, to the extent practicable, for the technical data to be delivered under a contract and require offerors and contractors to price separately each deliverable data item; and
(4) Require offerors to identify, to the extent practicable, technical data to be furnished with restrictions on the Government's rights and require contractors to identify technical data to be delivered with such restrictions prior to delivery.
(c) Offerors shall not be required, either as a condition of being responsive to a solicitation or as a condition for award, to sell or otherwise relinquish to the Government any rights in technical data related to items, components or processes developed at private expense except for the data identified at 227.7103-5(a)(2) and (a)(4) through (9).
(d) Offerors and contractors shall not be prohibited or discouraged from furnishing or offering to furnish items, components, or processes developed at private expense solely because the Government's rights to use, modify, release, reproduce, perform, display, or disclose technical data pertaining to those items may be restricted.
(e) As provided in 10 U.S.C. 2305, solicitations for major systems development contracts shall not require offerors to submit proposals that would permit the Government to acquire competitively items identical to items developed at private expense unless a determination is made at a level above the contracting officer that—
(1) The offeror will not be able to satisfy program schedule or delivery requirements; or
(2) The offeror's proposal to meet mobilization requirements does not satisfy mobilization needs.
(f) For acquisitions involving major weapon systems or subsystems of major weapon systems, the acquisition plan shall address acquisition strategies that provide for technical data and the associated license rights in accordance with 207.106(S-70).
(g) The Government's rights in a vessel design, and in any useful article embodying a vessel design, must be consistent with the Government's rights in technical data pertaining to the design (10 U.S.C. 7317; 17 U.S.C. 1301(a)(3)).
227.7103-2 Acquisition of technical data.
(a) Contracting officers shall work closely with data managers and requirements personnel to assure that data requirements included in solicitations are consistent with the policy expressed in 227.7103-1.
(b)(1) Data managers or other requirements personnel are responsible for identifying the Government's minimum needs for technical data. Data needs must be established giving consideration to the contractor's economic interests in data pertaining to items, components, or processes that have been developed at private expense; the Government's costs to acquire, maintain, store, retrieve, and protect the data; reprocurement needs; repair, maintenance and overhaul philosophies; spare and repair part considerations; and whether procurement of the items, components, or processes can be accomplished on a form, fit, or function basis. When it is anticipated that the Government will obtain unlimited or government purpose rights in technical data that will be required for competitive spare or repair parts procurements, such data should be identified as deliverable data items. Reprocurement needs may not be a sufficient reason to acquire detailed manufacturing or process data when items or components can be acquired using performance specifications, form, fit and function data, or when there are a sufficient number of alternate sources which can reasonably be expected to provide such items on a performance specification or form, fit, or function basis.
(2) When reviewing offers received in response to a solicitation or other request for data, data managers must balance the original assessment of the Government's data needs with data prices contained in the offer.
(c) Contracting officers are responsible for ensuring that, wherever practicable, solicitations and contracts—
(1) Identify the type and quantity of the technical data to be delivered under the contract and the format and media in which the data will be delivered;
(2) Establish each deliverable data item as a separate contract line item (this requirement may be satisfied by listing each deliverable data item on an exhibit to the contract);
(3) Identify the prices established for each deliverable data item under a fixed-price type contract;
(4) Include delivery schedules and acceptance criteria for each deliverable data item; and
(5) Specifically identify the place of delivery for each deliverable item of technical data.
227.7103-3 Early identification of technical data to be furnished to the Government with restrictions on use, reproduction or disclosure.
(a) 10 U.S.C. 2320 requires, to the maximum extent practicable, an identification prior to delivery of any technical data to be delivered to the Government with restrictions on use.
(b) Use the provision at 252.227-7017, Identification and Assertion of Use, Release, or Disclosure Restrictions, in all solicitations that include the clause at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data—Noncommercial Items. The provision requires offerors to identify any technical data for which restrictions, other than copyright, on use, release, or disclosure are asserted and to attach the identification and assertions to the offer.
(c) Subsequent to contract award, the clause at 252.227-7013 permits a contractor, under certain conditions, to make additional assertions of use, release, or disclosure restrictions. The prescription for the use of that clause and its alternate is at 227.7103-6(a) and (b).
227.7103-4 License rights.
(a) Grant of license. The Government obtains rights in technical data, including a copyright license, under an irrevocable license granted or obtained for the Government by the contractor. The contractor or licensor retains all rights in the data not granted to the Government. For technical data that pertain to items, components, or processes, the scope of the license is generally determined by the source of funds used to develop the item, component, or process. When the technical data do not pertain to items, components, or processes, the scope of the license is determined by the source of funds used to create the data.
(1) Technical data pertaining to items, components, or processes. Contractors or licensors may, with some exceptions (see 227.7103-5(a)(2) and (a)(4) through (9)), restrict the Government's rights to use, modify, release, reproduce, perform, display or disclose technical data pertaining to items, components, or processes developed exclusively at private expense (limited rights). They may not restrict the Government's rights in items, components, or processes developed exclusively at Government expense (unlimited rights) without the Government's approval. When an item, component, or process is developed with mixed funding, the Government may use, modify, release, reproduce, perform, display or disclose the data pertaining to such items, components, or processes within the Government without restriction but may release or disclose the data outside the Government only for government purposes (government purpose rights).
(2) Technical data that do not pertain to items, components, or processes. Technical data may be created during the performance of a contract for a conceptual design or similar effort that does not require the development, manufacture, construction, or production of items, components or processes. The Government generally obtains unlimited rights in such data when the data were created exclusively with Government funds, government purpose rights when the data were created with mixed funding, and limited rights when the data were created exclusively at private expense.
(b) Source of funds determination. The determination of the source of development funds for technical data pertaining to items, components, or processes should be made at any practical sub-item or sub-component level or for any segregable portion of a process. Contractors may assert limited rights in a segregable sub-item, sub-component, or portion of a process which otherwise qualifies for limited rights under the clause at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data–Noncommercial Items.
227.7103-5 Government rights.
The standard license rights that a licensor grants to the Government are unlimited rights, government purpose rights, or limited rights. Those rights are defined in the clause at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data–Noncommercial Items. In unusual situations, the standard rights may not satisfy the Government's needs or the Government may be willing to accept lesser rights in data in return for other consideration. In those cases, a special license may be negotiated. However, the licensor is not obligated to provide the Government greater rights and the contracting officer is not required to accept lesser rights than the rights provided in the standard grant of license. The situations under which a particular grant of license applies are enumerated in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this subsection.
(a) Unlimited rights. The Government obtains unlimited rights in technical data that are—
(1) Data pertaining to an item, component, or process which has been or will be developed exclusively with Government funds;
(2) Studies, analyses, test data, or similar data produced in the performance of a contract when the study, analysis, test, or similar work was specified as an element of performance;
(3) Created exclusively with Government funds in the performance of a contract that does not require the development, manufacture, construction, or production of items, components, or processes;
(4) Form, fit, and function data;
(5) Necessary for installation, operation, maintenance, or training purposes (other than detailed manufacturing or process data);
(6) Corrections or changes to technical data furnished to the contractor by the Government;
(7) Publicly available or have been released or disclosed by the contractor or subcontractor without restrictions on further use, release or disclosure other than a release or disclosure resulting from the sale, transfer, or other assignment of interest in the software to another party or the sale or transfer of some or all of a business entity or its assets to another party;
(8) Data in which the Government has obtained unlimited rights under another Government contract or as a result of negotiations; or
(9) Data furnished to the Government, under a Government contract or subcontract thereunder, with—
(i) Government purpose license rights or limited rights and the restrictive condition(s) has/have expired; or
(ii) Government purpose rights and the contractor's exclusive right to use such data for commercial purposes has expired.
(b) Government purpose rights.
(1) The Government obtains government purpose rights in technical data—
(i) That pertain to items, components, or processes developed with mixed funding except when the Government is entitled to unlimited rights as provided in paragraphs (a)(2) and (a)(4) through (9) of this subsection; or
(ii) Created with mixed funding in the performance of a contract that does not require the development, manufacture, construction, or production of items, components, or processes.
(2) The period during which government purpose rights are effective is negotiable. The clause at 252.227-7013 provides a nominal five-year period. Either party may request a different period. Changes to the government purpose rights period may be made at any time prior to delivery of the technical data without consideration from either party. Longer periods should be negotiated when a five-year period does not provide sufficient time to apply the data for commercial purposes or when necessary to recognize subcontractors' interests in the data.
(3) The government purpose rights period commences upon execution of the contract, subcontract, letter contract (or similar contractual instrument), contract modification, or option exercise that required the development. Upon expiration of the Government rights period, the Government has unlimited rights in the data including the right to authorize others to use the data for commercial purposes.
(4) During the government purpose rights period, the Government may not use, or authorize other persons to use, technical data marked with government purpose rights legends for commercial purposes. The Government shall not release or disclose data in which it has government purpose rights to any person, or authorize others to do so, unless—
(i) Prior to release or disclosure, the intended recipient is subject to the use and non-disclosure agreement at 227.7103-7; or
(ii) The intended recipient is a Government contractor receiving access to the data for performance of a Government contract that contains the clause at 252.227-7025, Limitations on the Use or Disclosure of Government-Furnished Information Marked with Restrictive Legends.
(5) When technical data marked with government purpose rights legends will be released or disclosed to a Government contractor performing a contract that does not include the clause at 252.227-7025, the contract may be modified, prior to release or disclosure, to include that clause in lieu of requiring the contractor to complete a use and non-disclosure agreement.
(6) Contracting activities shall establish procedures to assure that technical data marked with government purpose rights legends are released or disclosed, including a release or disclosure through a Government solicitation, only to persons subject to the use and non-disclosure restrictions. Public announcements in the Commerce Business Daily or other publications must provide notice of the use and non-disclosure requirements. Class use and non-disclosure agreements (e.g., agreements covering all solicitations received by the XYZ company within a reasonable period) are authorized and may be obtained at any time prior to release or disclosure of the government purpose rights data. Documents transmitting government purpose rights data to persons under class agreements shall identify the technical data subject to government purpose rights and the class agreement under which such data are provided.