Title 20, EducationRelease 119-102
§3480 Copyrights and Patents
Title 20 › CHAPTER 48 — DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › SUBCHAPTER IV — ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part B — General Administrative Provisions › § 3480
Summary
The Secretary can get intellectual-property rights for anything the Department will use or that is useful to it. This covers owning copyrights and patents (and related designs, processes, and manufacturing data), getting licenses to use them, and getting releases that settle past infringement before a lawsuit is filed.
Full Legal Text
Title 20, §3480
Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Secretary is authorized to acquire any of the following described rights if the property acquired thereby is for use by or for, or useful to, the Department:
(1)copyrights, patents, and applications for patents, designs, processes, and manufacturing data;
(2)licenses under copyrights, patents, and applications for patents; and
(3)releases, before suit is brought, for past infringement of patents or copyrights.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
20 U.S.C. § 3480
Title 20, Education
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102