FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 227: Patents, Data, and Copyrights › Subpart 227.6
DFARS 227.672 Policy.
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 section states Government policy against paying, or allowing payment, for patent royalties or data charges where the Government already holds a royalty-free license or a right to use and disclose the data, or where the data is in the public domain or was acquired without restrictions. It matters to contractors because it directs how Departments apply this policy when negotiating prices for foreign license technical assistance contracts and supply contracts with second sources, and when commenting on such agreements referred by the Department of State.
Applies to: Government Departments negotiating or commenting on foreign license technical assistance contracts and supply contracts with second sources
Key terms: royalty-free license · data · public domain · foreign license technical assistance contracts · second sources
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
It is Government policy not to pay in connection with its contracts, and not to allow to be paid in connection with contracts made with funds derived through the Military Assistance Program or otherwise through the United States Government, charges for use of patents in which it holds a royalty-free license or charges for data which it has a right to use and disclose to others, or which is in the public domain, or which the Government has acquired without restriction upon its use and disclosure to others. This policy shall be applied by the Departments in negotiating contract prices for foreign license technical assistance contracts (227.675) or supply contracts with second sources (227.674); and in commenting on such agreements when they are referred to the Department of Defense by the Department of State pursuant to section 414 of the Mutual Security Act of 1954 as amended (22 U.S.C. 1934) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (see 227.675).
← 227.671 General. · 227.673 Foreign license and technical assistance agreements between the Government and domestic concerns. →
Rule changes for DFARS Part 227
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Technical Amendments ↗ · final rule 2025-08-25 · effective 2025-08-25
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Small Business Innovation Research Program Data Rights (DFARS Case 2019-D043) ↗ · final rule 2024-12-18 · effective 2025-01-17
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Use of DoD Program Nomenclature (DFARS Case 2021-D002) ↗ · proposed 2024-02-15 · comments due 2024-04-15
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.