There are a myriad of unique rules and regulations governing the rights to intellectual property in U.S. Government contracting. These rules and regulations are designed toadvance U.S. Government procurement policy considerations while, at the same time, balancing the contractor’s contribution in developing its intellectual property with the U.S. Government’s incremental investment. Because comparatively innocent mistakes can result in catastrophic waivers of valuable intellectual property rights, it is imperativefor contractors to understand and to steer through and around rules to maximize theprotection of their intellectual property rights.

This 90-minute webinar will provide an overview of the key principles governing therules and regulations relating to rights in technical data, computer software, and patents. This will include a discussion of recent and impending changes to these rules, particularly as the relate to commercial items and major weapons systems. With this background, the webinar will also provide practical pointers to help contractors avoid traps for the unwary that could inadvertently compromise of their intellectual property rights.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the policy objectives behind the rules relating to rights in technical data, computer software, and patents.
• Discover the different types of rights the U.S. Government may obtain in a contractor’s technical data and computer software.
• Understand when the U.S. Government obtains rights in a contractor’s technical data and computer software.
• Understand the distinction between data rights rules for commercial and noncommercial items, and understand recent changes to the treatment of commercial items.
• Become familiar with the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012’s effect on the data rights scheme.
• Understand the basic regime for the allocation of patent rights for inventions made under federal contracts.
• Identify steps that can be taken by contractors to maximize their rights to certain technical data.
• Identify strategic considerations to help preserve or enhance contractor’s intellectual property rights.
• And much, much more!