Title 35 — PatentsRelease 119-73
§200 Policy and objective
Title 35 › Part PART II— - PATENTABILITY OF INVENTIONS AND GRANT OF PATENTS › Chapter CHAPTER 18— - PATENT RIGHTS IN INVENTIONS MADE WITH FEDERAL ASSISTANCE › § 200
Summary
Congress wants the patent system used so inventions from government-funded research turn into useful goods and services. The goal is to involve small businesses, encourage teams of companies and universities, keep inventions from blocking future research, help U.S. inventions reach the public, give the government enough rights to stop nonuse or unfair use, and keep costs low.
Full Legal Text
Title 35, §200
Patents — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
It is the policy and objective of the Congress to use the patent system to promote the utilization of inventions arising from federally supported research or development; to encourage maximum participation of small business firms in federally supported research and development efforts; to promote collaboration between commercial concerns and nonprofit organizations, including universities; to ensure that inventions made by nonprofit organizations and small business firms are used in a manner to promote free competition and enterprise without unduly encumbering future research and discovery; to promote the commercialization and public availability of inventions made in the United States by United States industry and labor; to ensure that the Government obtains sufficient rights in federally supported inventions to meet the needs of the Government and protect the public against nonuse or unreasonable use of inventions; and to minimize the costs of administering policies in this area.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2000—Pub. L. 106–404 substituted “enterprise without unduly encumbering future research and discovery;” for “enterprise;”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective July 1, 1981, but implementing
Regulations
authorized to be issued earlier, see section 8(f) of Pub. L. 96–517, set out as an
Effective Date
of 1980 Amendment note under section 41 of this title.
Short Title
This chapter is popularly known as the Bayh-Dole Act. section 6(a) of Pub. L. 96–517, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 3018, which enacted this chapter, is also popularly known as the Bayh-Dole Act and also as the University and Small Business Patent Procedures Act of 1980. For complete classification of section 6(a) of Pub. L. 96–517 to the Code, see Tables.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
35 U.S.C. § 200
Title 35 — Patents
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73