(a) DoD shall acquire only the technical data customarily provided to the public with a commercial product, commercial service, or commercial process, except technical data that—

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(1) Are form, fit, or function data;

(2) Are required for repair or maintenance of commercial products or commercial processes, or for the proper installation, operating, or handling of a commercial product, either as a stand alone unit or as a part of a military system, when such data are not customarily provided to commercial users or the data provided to commercial users is not sufficient for military purposes; or

(3) Describe the modifications made at Government expense to a commercial product, commercial service, or commercial process in order to meet the requirements of a Government solicitation.

(b) To encourage offerors and contractors to offer or use commercial products to satisfy military requirements, offerors, and contractors shall not be required, except for the technical data described in paragraph (a) of this section, to—

(1) Furnish technical information related to commercial products, commercial services, or commercial processes that is not customarily provided to the public; or

(2) Relinquish to, or otherwise provide, the Government rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose technical data pertaining to commercial products, commercial services, or commercial processes except for a transfer of rights mutually agreed upon.

(c) The Government’s rights in a vessel design, and in any useful article embodying a vessel design, must be consistent with the Government’s rights in technical data pertaining to the design (10 U.S.C. § 8687; 17 U.S.C. § 1301(a)(3)).

[60 FR 33471, June 28, 1995, as amended at 74 FR 61044, Nov. 23, 2009; 87 FR 15818, Mar. 18, 2022; 88 FR 6585, Jan. 31, 2023]