FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 27: Patents, Data, and Copyrights › Subpart 27.3
FAR 27.304-3 Subcontracts.
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 says the patent-related policies and procedures in this subpart flow down to subcontracts at every tier. It also states that the Government does not want prime contractors using subcontract awards as leverage to gain rights in inventions made under those subcontracts. If a clause is thought inappropriate or a subcontractor refuses it, the contracting officer resolves the issue with counsel.
Applies to: Prime contractors and subcontractors at any tier
What it requires
- Apply the subpart's policies and procedures to all subcontracts at any tier
- Do not use the ability to award subcontracts as economic leverage to acquire rights in inventions resulting from subcontracts
Key terms: subcontracts at any tier · prime contractor · subcontractor · contracting officer · inventions
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
(a) The policies and procedures in this subpart apply to all subcontracts at any tier.
(b) Whenever a prime contractor or a subcontractor considers including a particular clause in a subcontract to be inappropriate or a subcontractor refuses to accept the clause, the contracting officer, in consultation with counsel, shall resolve the matter.
(c) It is Government policy that contractors shall not use their ability to award subcontracts as economic leverage to acquire rights for themselves in inventions resulting from subcontracts.
← 27.304-2 Contracts placed by or for other Government agencies. · 27.304-4 Appeals. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 27
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 9, 27, and 47 ↗ · proposed 2026-09-18 · comments due 2026-10-19
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Programs ↗ · proposed 2025-06-12
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Controlled Unclassified Information ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.