Title 35, PatentsRelease 119-102
§208 Regulations Governing Federal Licensing
Title 35 › PART II — PATENTABILITY OF INVENTIONS AND GRANT OF PATENTS › CHAPTER 18 — PATENT RIGHTS IN INVENTIONS MADE WITH FEDERAL ASSISTANCE › § 208
Summary
The Secretary of Commerce can make rules that set how inventions owned by the federal government can be licensed. These rules apply to all such inventions except those owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, and they cover licensing to many users (nonexclusive), to a few users (partially exclusive), or to just one user (exclusive).
Full Legal Text
Title 35, §208
Patents, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to promulgate regulations specifying the terms and conditions upon which any federally owned invention, other than inventions owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, may be licensed on a nonexclusive, partially exclusive, or exclusive basis.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1984—Pub. L. 98–620 substituted “Secretary of Commerce” for “Administrator of General Services”.
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.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
35 U.S.C. § 208
Title 35, Patents
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102