An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Patent and Software Licensing

Overview

The licensing of government-owned software and patents is used frequently to promote the utilization and commercialization of inventions that are developed in federal labs through agency-supported R&D. The government may grant licenses to the private sector. Interested parties should search our IP database for opportunities.

Tech Database
Lab Database

PLA vs. SLA

PLA Header

Patent License Agreement (PLA) allows the patent owner to grant another person or company to make, use, or sell the patented invention in return for a valuable consideration

SLA Header

Software License Agreement (SLA) allows a lab to license government developed software in return for a valuable consideration

Types of License Agreements

Exclusive

Grants intellectual property rights for their sole use in all fields of use or geographic area

Partially Exclusive

Rights granted to either a pre-determined number of recipients or for a specific use or geographic area

Non-Exclusive

Grants rights to an unlimited number of parties in any given field of use or geographic area