[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 14, Volume 5] [Revised as of January 1, 2006] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 14CFR1260.57] [Page 293-296] TITLE 14--AERONAUTICS AND SPACE SPACE ADMINISTRATION PART 1260_GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS--Table of Contents Subpart A_General Sec. 1260.57 New technology. New Technology October 2000 (a) Definitions. Administrator, as used in this special condition, means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) or duly authorized representative. Grant, as used in this special condition, means any actual or proposed grant, cooperative agreement, understanding, or other arrangement, and includes any assignment, substitution of parties, or subcontract executed or entered into thereunder. Made, as used in this special condition, means conception or first actual reduction to practice; provided, that in the case of a variety of plant, the date of determination (as defined in section 41(d) of the Plant Variety Protection Act, 7 U.S.C. 2401(d)) must also occur during the period of grant performance. Nonprofit organization, as used in this special condition, means a domestic university or other institution of higher education or an organization of the type described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (26 U.S.C. 501(c)) and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 501(a)), or any domestic nonprofit scientific or educational organization qualified under a State nonprofit organization statute. Practical application, as used in this special condition, means to manufacture, in the case of a composition or product; to practice, in the case of a process or method; or to operate, in case of a machine or system; and, in each case, under such conditions as to establish that the invention is being utilized and that its benefits are, to the extent permitted by law or Government regulations, available to the public on reasonable terms. Reportable item, as used in this special condition, means any invention, discovery, improvement, or innovation of the grantee, whether or not patentable or otherwise protectable under Title 35 of the United States Code, made in the performance of any work under any NASA grant or in the performance of any work that is reimbursable under any provision in any NASA grant providing for reimbursement of costs incurred before the effective date of the grant. Reportable items include, but are not limited to, new processes, machines, manufactures, and compositions of matter, and improvements to, or new applications of, existing processes, machines, manufactures, and compositions of matter. Reportable items also include new computer programs, and improvements to, or new applications of, existing computer programs, whether or not copyrightable or otherwise protectable under Title 17 of the United States Code. Small business firm, as used in this special condition, means a domestic small business concern as defined at 15 U.S.C. 632 and implementing regulations (see 13 CFR section 121.401 et seq.) of the Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Subject invention, as used in this special condition, means any reportable item which is or may be patentable or otherwise protectible under Title 35 of the United States Code, or any novel variety of plant that is or may be protectable under the Plant Variety Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 2321 et seq.). (b) Allocation of principal rights. (1) Presumption of title. (i) Any reportable item that the Administrator considers to be a subject invention shall be presumed to have been made in the manner specified in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 305(a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (42 U.S.C. 2457(a)) (hereinafter called ``the Act''), and that presumption shall be conclusive unless at the time of reporting the reportable item the Recipient submits to the Grant Officer a written statement, containing supporting details, demonstrating that the reportable item was not made in the manner specified in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 305(a) of the Act. (ii) Regardless of whether title to a given subject invention would otherwise be subject to an advance waiver or is the subject of a petition for waiver, the Recipient may nevertheless file the statement described in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this special condition. The Administrator will review the information furnished by the Recipient in any such statement and any other available information relating to the circumstances surrounding the making of the subject invention and will notify the Recipient whether the Administrator has determined that the subject invention was made in the manner specified in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 305(a) of the Act. (2) Property rights in subject inventions. Each subject invention for which the presumption of paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this special condition is conclusive or for which there has been a determination that it was made in the manner specified in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 305(a) of the Act shall be the exclusive property of the United States as represented by NASA unless the Administrator waives all or any part of the rights of the United States, as provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this special condition. (3) Waiver of rights. (i) Section 305(f) of the Act provides for the promulgation of regulations by which the Administrator may waive the rights of the United States with respect to any invention or class of inventions made or that may be [[Page 294]] made under conditions specified in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 305(a) of the Act. The promulgated NASA Patent Waiver Regulations, 14 CFR part 1245, subpart 1, have adopted the Presidential Memorandum on Government Patent Policy of February 18, 1983, as a guide in acting on petitions (requests) for such waiver of rights. (ii) As provided in 14 CFR Part 1245, subpart 1, Recipients may petition, either prior to execution of the grant or within 30 days after execution of the grant, for advance waiver of rights to any or all of the inventions that may be made under a grant. If such a petition is not submitted, or if after submission it is denied, the Recipient (or an employee inventor of the Recipient) may petition for waiver of rights to an identified subject invention within eight months of first disclosure of the invention in accordance with paragraph (e)(2) of this special condition, or within such longer period as may be authorized in accordance with 14 CFR 1245.105. (c) Minimum rights reserved by the Government. (1) With respect to each subject invention for which a waiver of rights is applicable in accordance with 14 CFR part 1245, subpart 1, the Government reserves-- (i) An irrevocable, nonexclusive, nontransferable, royalty-free license for the practice of such invention throughout the world by or on behalf of the United States or any foreign government in accordance with any treaty or agreement with the United States; and (ii) Such other rights as stated in 14 CFR 1245.107. (2) Nothing contained in this paragraph (c) shall be considered to grant to the Government any rights with respect to any invention other than a subject invention. (d) Minimum rights to the Recipient. (1) The Recipient is hereby granted a revocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free license in each patent application filed in any country on a subject invention and any resulting patent in which the Government acquires title, unless the Recipient fails to disclose the subject invention within the times specified in paragraph (e)(2) of this special condition. The Recipient's license extends to its domestic subsidiaries and affiliates, if any, within the corporate structure of which the Recipient is a party and includes the right to grant sublicenses of the same scope to the extent the Recipient was legally obligated to do so at the time the grant was awarded. The license is transferable only with the approval of the Administrator except when transferred to the successor of that part of the Recipient's business to which the invention pertains. (2) The Recipient's domestic license may be revoked or modified by the Administrator to the extent necessary to achieve expeditious practical application of the subject invention pursuant to an application for an exclusive license submitted in accordance with 37 CFR part 404, Licensing of Government Owned Inventions. This license will not be revoked in that field of use or the geographical areas in which the Recipient has achieved practical application and continues to make the benefits of the invention reasonably accessible to the public. The license in any foreign country may be revoked or modified at the discretion of the Administrator to the extent the Recipient, its licensees, or its domestic subsidiaries or affiliates have failed to achieve practical application in that foreign country. (3) Before revocation or modification of the license, the Recipient will be provided a written notice of the Administrator's intention to revoke or modify the license, and the Recipient will be allowed 30 days (or such other time as may be authorized by the Administrator for good cause shown by the Recipient) after the notice to show cause why the license should not be revoked or modified. The Recipient has the right to appeal to the Administrator any decision concerning the revocation or modification of its license. (e) Invention identification, disclosures, and reports. (1) The Recipient shall establish and maintain active and effective procedures to assure that reportable items are promptly identified and disclosed to Recipient personnel responsible for the administration of this New Technology special condition within six months of conception and/or first actual reduction to practice, whichever occurs first in the performance of work under this grant. These procedures shall include the maintenance of laboratory notebooks or equivalent records and other records as are reasonably necessary to document the conception and/or the first actual reduction to practice of the reportable items, and records that show that the procedures for identifying and disclosing reportable items are followed. Upon request, the Recipient shall furnish the Grant Officer a description of such procedures for evaluation and for determination as to their effectiveness. (2) The Recipient will disclose each reportable item to the Grant Officer within two months after the inventor discloses it in writing to Recipient personnel responsible for the administration of this New Technology special condition or, if earlier, within six months after the Recipient becomes aware that a reportable item has been made, but in any event for subject inventions before any on sale, public use, or publication of such invention known to the Recipient. The disclosure to the agency shall be in the form of a written report and shall identify the grant under which the reportable item was made and the inventor(s) or innovator(s). It shall be sufficiently complete in technical [[Page 295]] detail to convey a clear understanding, to the extent known at the time of the disclosure, of the nature, purpose, operation, and physical, chemical, biological, or electrical characteristics of the reportable item. The disclosure shall also identify any publication, on sale, or public use of any subject invention and whether a manuscript describing such invention has been submitted for publication and, if so, whether it has been accepted for publication at the time of disclosure. In addition, after disclosure to the agency, the Recipient will promptly notify the agency of the acceptance of any manuscript describing a subject invention for publication or of any on sale or public use planned by the Recipient for such invention. (3) The Recipient shall furnish the Grant Officer the following: (i) Interim reports every 12 months (or such longer period as may be specified by the Grant Officer) from the date of the grant, listing reportable items during that period, and certifying that all reportable items have been disclosed (or that there are no such inventions) and that the procedures required by paragraph (e)(1) of this special condition have been followed. (ii) A final report, within 3 months after completion of the grant work, listing all reportable items or certifying that there were no such reportable items, and listing all subcontracts at any tier containing a patent rights clause or certifying that there were no such subcontracts. (4) The Recipient agrees, upon written request of the Grant Officer, to furnish additional technical and other information available to the Recipient as is necessary for the preparation of a patent application on a subject invention and for the prosecution of the patent application, and to execute all papers necessary to file patent applications on subject inventions and to establish the Government's rights in the subject inventions. (5) The Recipient agrees, subject to FAR 27.302(j), that the Government may duplicate and disclose subject invention disclosures and all other reports and papers furnished or required to be furnished pursuant to this special condition. (f) Examination of records relating to inventions. (1) The Grant Officer or any authorized representative shall, until 3 years after final payment under this grant, have the right to examine any books (including laboratory notebooks), records, and documents of the Recipient relating to the conception or first actual reduction to practice of inventions in the same field of technology as the work under this grant to determine whether-- (i) Any such inventions are subject inventions; (ii) The Recipient has established and maintained the procedures required by paragraph (e)(1) of this special condition; and (iii) The Recipient and its inventors have complied with the procedures. (2) If the Grant Officer learns of an unreported Recipient grantee invention that the Grant Officer believes may be a subject invention, the Recipient may be required to disclose the invention to the agency for a determination of ownership rights. (3) Any examination of records under this paragraph will be subject to appropriate conditions to protect the confidentiality of the information involved. (g) Withholding of payment (this paragraph does not apply to subcontracts). (1) Any time before final payment under this grant, the Grant Officer may, in the Government's interest, withhold payment until a reserve not exceeding $50,000 or 5 percent of the amount of this grant, whichever is less, shall have been set aside if, in the Grant Officer's opinion, the Recipient fails to-- (i) Establish, maintain, and follow effective procedures for identifying and disclosing reportable items pursuant to paragraph (e)(1) of this special condition; (ii) Disclose any reportable items pursuant to paragraph (e)(2) of this special condition; (iii) Deliver acceptable interim reports pursuant to paragraph (e)(3)(i) of this special condition; or (iv) Provide the information regarding subcontracts pursuant to paragraph (h)(4) of this special condition. (2) Such reserve or balance shall be withheld until the Grant Officer has determined that the Recipient has rectified whatever deficiencies exist and has delivered all reports, disclosures, and other information required by the grant. (3) Final payment under the grant shall not be made before the Recipient delivers to the Grant Officer all disclosures of reportable items required by paragraph (e)(2) of this special condition, and an acceptable final report pursuant to paragraph (e)(3)(ii) of this special condition. (4) The Grant Officer may decrease or increase the sums withheld up to the maximum authorized in paragraph (g)(1) of this special condition. No amount shall be withheld under this paragraph while the amount specified by this paragraph is being withheld under other provisions of the grant. The withholding of any amount or the subsequent payment thereof shall not be construed as a waiver of any Government rights. (h) Subcontracts. (1) Unless otherwise authorized or directed by the Grant Officer, the Recipient shall-- (i) Include the clause at NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) 1852.227-70, New Technology, (suitably modified to identify the parties) in any subcontract hereunder (regardless of tier) with other than a small business firm [[Page 296]] or nonprofit organization for the performance of experimental, developmental, or research work; and (ii) Include the clause at FAR 52.227-11 (suitably modified to identify the parties) in any subcontract hereunder (regardless of tier) with a small business firm or nonprofit organization for the performance of experimental, developmental, or research work. (2) In the event of a refusal by a prospective subcontractor to accept such a clause the Recipient-- (i) Shall promptly submit a written notice to the Grant Officer setting forth the subcontractor's reasons for such refusal and other pertinent information that may expedite disposition of the matter; and (ii) Shall not proceed with such subcontract without the written authorization of the Grant Officer. (3) In the case of subcontracts at any tier, the agency, subcontractor, and Recipient agree that the mutual obligations of the parties created by this special condition constitute a contract between the subcontractor and NASA with respect to those matters covered by this grant. (4) The Recipient shall promptly notify the Grant Officer in writing upon the award of any subcontract at any tier containing a patent rights clause by identifying the subcontractor, the applicable patent rights clause, the work to be performed under the subcontract, and the dates of award and estimated completion. Upon request of the Grant Officer, the Recipient shall furnish a copy of such subcontract, and, no more frequently than annually, a listing of the subcontracts that have been awarded. (5) The subcontractor will retain all rights provided for the Recipient in paragraph (h)(1)(i) or (ii) of this special condition, whichever is included in the subcontract, and the Recipient will not, as part of the consideration for awarding the subcontract, obtain rights in the subcontractor's subject inventions. (i) Preference for United States industry. Unless provided otherwise, no Recipient that receives title to any subject invention and no assignee of any such Recipient shall grant to any person the exclusive right to use or sell any subject invention in the United States unless such person agrees that any products embodying the subject invention will be manufactured substantially in the United States. However, in individual cases, the requirement may be waived by the Administrator upon a showing by the Recipient or assignee that reasonable but unsuccessful efforts have been made to grant licenses on similar terms to potential licensees that would be likely to manufacture substantially in the United States or that under the circumstances domestic manufacture is not commercially feasible.