FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 227: Patents, Data, and Copyrights › Subpart 227.71

DFARS 227.7103-9 Copyright.

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 explains how copyright licenses work for technical data under DFARS clauses 252.227-7013 and 252.227-7018. It tells contracting officers how to negotiate copyright licenses alongside data rights licenses and when to approve a contractor's use of third-party copyrighted data in deliverables. It matters to contractors because it sets limits on what copyright rights they must grant the Government and when they need approval to include third-party copyrighted material.

Applies to: Contractors and contracting officers dealing with technical data under DFARS clauses 252.227-7013 and 252.227-7018

What it requires

  • Grant or obtain for the Government license rights that permit reproduction, distribution, public performance or display, and preparation of derivative works of data
  • Do not negotiate a copyright license that provides less rights than the standard limited rights license in technical data
  • Obtain an appropriate license for the Government (and others acting on its behalf when applicable) before incorporating third-party copyrighted data into a deliverable data item, or obtain the contracting officer's written approval to do so

Key terms: copyright license · technical data · limited rights license · third-party copyrighted data · SBIR/STTR data

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

The text

(a) Copyright license. (1) The clauses at 252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data—Other Than Commercial Products and Commercial Services, and 252.227-7018, Rights in Other Than Commercial Technical Data and Computer Software—Small Business Innovation Research Program and Small Business Technology Transfer Program, require a contractor to grant or obtain for the Government license rights which permit the Government to reproduce data, distribute copies of the data, publicly perform or display the data or, through the right to modify data, prepare derivative works. The extent to which the Government, and others acting on its behalf, may exercise these rights varies for each of the standard data rights licenses obtained under the clauses. When non-standard license rights in technical data will be negotiated, negotiate the extent of the copyright license concurrent with negotiations for the data rights license. Do not negotiate a copyright license that provides less rights than the standard limited rights license in technical data.

(2) The clauses at 252.227-7013 and 252.227-7018 do not permit a contractor to incorporate a third party's copyrighted data into a deliverable data item unless the contractor has obtained an appropriate license for the Government and, when applicable, others acting on the Government's behalf, or has obtained the contracting officer's written approval to do so. Grant approval to use third-party copyrighted data in which the Government will not receive a copyright license only when the Government's requirements cannot be satisfied without the third-party material or when the use of the third-party material will result in cost savings to the Government which outweigh the lack of a copyright license.

(b) Copyright considerations—acquisition of existing and special works. See 227.7105 or 227.7106 for copyright considerations when acquiring existing or special works that are not SBIR/STTR data.

Sections it refers to

  • 252.227-7013 Rights in Technical Data—Other Than Commercial Products and Commercial Services.
  • 252.227-7018 Rights in Other Than Commercial Technical Data and Computer Software—Small Business Innovation Research Program and Small Business Technology Transfer Program.
  • 227.7105 Contracts for the acquisition of existing works.
  • 227.7106 Contracts for special works.

Sections that refer to it

← 227.7103-8 Deferred delivery and deferred ordering of technical data. · 227.7103-10 Contractor identification and marking of technical data to be furnished with restrictive markings. →

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 227.7103-9 Copyright · SpendQuery