Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§13293 Protection of Proprietary Information

Title 42 › CHAPTER 134 — ENERGY POLICY › SUBCHAPTER IV — ELECTRIC MOTOR VEHICLES › Part B — Electric Motor Vehicle Infrastructure and Support Systems Development Program › § 13293

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Protects research results from being made public for up to 5 years when the work (including joint ventures and related electric vehicle battery projects) mainly benefits the people or companies who pay for it, especially U.S. companies. It applies to information that would count as a trade secret or private business or financial data if it came from a participant. These protections override other laws and follow the rules in 18 U.S.C. 1905, but they do not block Congress from getting the information. Domestic companies means businesses that do a large part of their vehicle production in the United States and have most of their factories here.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §13293

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

In the case of activities, including joint venture activities, under this subchapter, and in the case of any existing or future activities, including joint venture activities, related primarily to battery technology for electric motor vehicles under other provisions of law, where the knowledge resulting from research and development activities conducted pursuant to such activities, including joint venture activities, is for the benefit of the participants (particularly domestic companies) that provide financial resources to a project under this subchapter, the Secretary, for a period of up to 5 years after the development of information that—

(1)results from research and development activities conducted under this subchapter; and

(2)would be a trade secret or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential if the information had been obtained from a participant,

shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, provide appropriate protections against the dissemination of such information to the public, and the provisions of section 1905 of title 18 shall apply to such information. Nothing in this subsection provides protections against the dissemination of such information to Congress.

(b)“Domestic companies” defined

For purposes of subsection (a), the term “domestic companies” means entities which are substantially involved in the United States in the domestic production of motor vehicles for sale in the United States and have a substantial percentage of their production facilities in the United States.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 13293

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110