Licensing of Government Owned Inventions

This final rule incorporates a recently enacted change to 35 U.S.C. 209 with respect to the granting of exclusive patent licenses by Federal agencies. Federal agencies are now authorized to provide the public no less than 15 days to file an objection to the proposed license. Under the present regulation in 37 CFR part 404, the notice period is 60 days although no specific time period was required by statute. This statutory change is being implemented to address the concern that the granting of exclusive licenses was being unnecessarily delayed by the 60-day notice period.