Intellectual Property: Navigating Through Commercial Waters: Issues and Solutions When Negotiating Intellectual Property With Commercial Companies

When acquiring intellectual property (IP) license rights, the Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition community should consider certain core principles. The table below highlights these principles and is followed by more details on each. For the purposes of this guide, the term “intellectual property” means patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. In dealing with IP rights, the Government has promulgated policies and regulations on patents, copyrights, technical data, and computer software.