{
  "id": "ACQ-28",
  "category": "Intellectual property & technology transfer",
  "capability": "License federally owned inventions to commercialize technology",
  "summary": "Obtain/protect federal patents and grant nonexclusive, exclusive or partially exclusive licenses, royalty-free or for consideration, while retaining government-use rights.",
  "legal_basis": [
    {
      "citation": "35 U.S.C. §207",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title35-section207&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    },
    {
      "citation": "35 U.S.C. §209",
      "url": "https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title35-section209&num=0&edition=prelim",
      "kind": "statute",
      "note": "Primary statutory text; primary GovInfo baseline and amendment audit identified in research narrative."
    }
  ],
  "authority_holder": "Federal agency holding invention rights; authorized agency/laboratory licensing officials",
  "actor_chain": {
    "planner": [
      "Laboratory scientific lead and Office of Research and Technology Applications"
    ],
    "resource_owner": [
      "Laboratory director and sponsoring component budget owner"
    ],
    "approver": [
      "Laboratory director and agency approver as statute/delegation requires"
    ],
    "executor": [
      "Laboratory ORTA, counsel and authorized agreement official"
    ],
    "partners": [
      "Industry, universities, nonprofit and government collaborators within eligibility limits"
    ]
  },
  "actor_sources": [
    {
      "title": "Army Technology Transfer Program — agreement tools and laboratory roles",
      "url": "https://www.t2.army.mil/T2-Program/T2-Agreements/"
    },
    {
      "title": "Air Force Offices of Research and Technology Applications — coordination role",
      "url": "https://www.aft3.af.mil/Office-of-Research-and-Technology-Application-ORTA/"
    }
  ],
  "requirements": [
    "Exclusive scope must be reasonably necessary for commercialization, support public interest and avoid anticompetitive effects.",
    "Development/marketing plan; ordinarily substantial U.S. manufacturing; small-business preference if equally capable."
  ],
  "limits": [
    "Government retains paid-up license and termination protections.",
    "Exclusive/partially exclusive license ordinarily requires 15-day public notice; CRADA invention exception applies."
  ],
  "funding": [
    "License royalties/consideration per agreement; retention/distribution requires separate applicable authority such as 15 U.S.C. §3710c."
  ],
  "coordination_path": "ORTA identifies invention → IP counsel confirms government rights → commercialization and competition review → authorized licensing official.",
  "availability": "Express statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.",
  "confidence": "High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.",
  "currentness": "GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation.",
  "family": "Intellectual property and technology transfer",
  "mechanisms": [
    "Licensing & IP"
  ],
  "goal_ids": [
    "develop-technology"
  ],
  "office_links": []
}