FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 227: Patents, Data, and Copyrights › Subpart 227.6

DFARS 227.671 General.

The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.

In plain English

This DFARS section describes how the Government may help develop foreign sources of supply for the Military Assistance Program or other national defense purposes. A domestic company (the 'primary source') may agree to give a foreign company or government (the 'second source') patent rights, technical assistance, or other support so the second source can produce supplies or perform services. It also explains that the primary source can be paid in various ways, such as lump sums, per-item payments, data exchanges, or stock transactions.

Applies to: Domestic concerns (primary sources) and foreign concerns or governments (second sources) involved in foreign licensing or technical assistance agreements for national defense purposes

Key terms: primary source · second source · foreign licensing agreement · technical assistance agreement · royalty or license fee

Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.

The text

In furtherance of the Military Assistance Program or for other national defense purposes, the Government may undertake to develop or encourage the development of foreign additional sources of supply. The development of such sources may be accomplished by an agreement, often called a foreign licensing agreement or technical assistance agreement, wherein a domestic concern, referred to in this subpart as a “primary source,” agrees to furnish to a foreign concern or government, herein referred to as a “second source;” foreign patent rights; technical assistance in the form of data, know-how, trained personnel of the primary source, instruction and guidance of the personnel of the second source, jigs, dies, fixtures, or other manufacturing aids, or such other assistance, information, rights, or licenses as are needed to enable the second source to produce particular supplies or perform particular services. Agreements calling for one or more of the foregoing may be entered into between the primary source and the Government, a foreign government, or a foreign concern. The consideration for providing such foreign license and technical assistance may be in the form of a lump sum payment, payments for each item manufactured by the second source, an agreement to exchange data and patent rights on improvements made to the article or service, capital stock transactions, or any combination of these. The primary source's bases for computing such consideration may include actual costs; charges for the use of patents, data, or know-how reflecting the primary source's investment in developing and engineering and production techniques; and the primary source's “price” for setting up a second source. Such agreements often refer to the compensation to be paid as a royalty or license fee whether or not patent rights are involved.

← 227.670 Scope. · 227.672 Policy. →

Rule changes for DFARS Part 227

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.

DFARS 227.671 General · SpendQuery