[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 45, Volume 1]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 45CFR7.3]

[Page 44-45]
 
                        TITLE 45--PUBLIC WELFARE
 
                           AND HUMAN SERVICES
 
PART 7--EMPLOYEE INVENTIONS--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 7.3  Determination as to domestic rights.

    The determination of the ownership of the domestic right, title, and 
interest in and to an invention which is or may be patentable, made by a 
Government employee while under the administrative jurisdiction of the 
Department, shall be made in writing by the Assistant Secretary (Health 
and Scientific Affairs), in accordance with the provisions of Executive 
Order 10096 and Government-wide regulations issued thereunder by the 
Commissioner of Patents as follows:
    (a) The Government as represented by the Assistant Secretary (Health 
and Scientific Affairs) shall obtain the entire domestic right, title 
and interest in and to all inventions made by any Government employee 
(1) during working hours, or (2) with a contribution by the Government 
of facilities, equipment, materials, funds, or information, or of time 
or services of other Government employees on official duty, or (3) which 
bear a direct relation to or are

[[Page 45]]

made in consequence of the official duties of the inventor.
    (b) In any case where the contribution of the Government, as 
measured by any one or more of the criteria set forth in paragraph (a) 
of this section, to the invention is insufficient equitably to justify a 
requirement of assignment to the Government of the entire domestic 
right, title and interest in and to such invention, or in any case where 
the Government has insufficient interest in an invention to obtain the 
entire domestic right, title, and interest therein (although the 
Government could obtain same under paragraph (a) of this section), the 
Department, subject to the approval of the Commissioner, shall leave 
title to such invention in the employee, subject, however, to the 
reservation to the Government of a nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-
free license in the invention with power to grant licenses for all 
governmental purposes, such reservation to appear, where practicable, in 
any patent, domestic or foreign, which may issue on such invention.
    (c) In applying the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this 
section, to the facts and circumstances relating to the making of any 
particular invention, it shall be presumed that an invention made by an 
employee who is employed or assigned (1) to invent or improve or perfect 
any art, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, (2) to conduct 
or perform research, development work, or both, (3) to supervise, 
direct, coordinate, or review Government financed or conducted research, 
development work, or both, or (4) to act in a liaison capacity among 
governmental or nongovernmental agencies or individuals engaged in such 
work, falls within the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, and 
it shall be presumed that any invention made by any other employee falls 
within the provisions of paragraph (b) of this section. Either 
presumption may be rebutted by a showing of the facts and circumstances 
and shall not preclude a determination that these facts and 
circumstances justify leaving the entire right, title and interest in 
and to the invention in the Government employee, subject to law.
    (d) In any case wherein the Government neither (1) obtains the 
entire domestic right, title and interest in and to an invention 
pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, nor (2) 
reserves a nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license in the 
invention, with power to grant licenses for all governmental purposes, 
pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (b) of this section, the 
Government shall leave the entire right, title and interest in and to 
the invention in the Government employee, subject to law.

[27 FR 7986, Aug. 10, 1962, as amended at 31 FR 12842, Nov. 1, 1966]