本項は、1999年3月の当研究所の資料"米国の政府支援研究開発における知的財産権の取り扱いの変遷の歴史とその背景"において詳細が報告されているため、要点をごく簡単に記述するに 各省庁に姿勢のばらつきはあるものの、連邦政府レベルの公式見解は、「政府契約の下で開発したソフトウエアに対する権利は民間契約者が保持し、政府はその後の使用に対してはロイヤリティーベースの使用権を確保する」、というものである。
1.4 プロジェクトの成果物に対する条件
とどめる。
| Executive Order No. 12591, "Facilitating Access to Science and Technology", April 10, 1987 "Each agency head shall ... cooperate, under policy guidance provided by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, with the heads of the other affected departments and agencies, in the development of a uniform policy permitting federal contractors to retain rights in software, engineering drawings and other technical data generated by federal grants and contracts, in exchange for royalty fee use by or on behalf of the government." |
ソフトウエアのソースコードに関しても、契約者がその後の商業化を求めている場合は、政府への納入を求めないよう考慮する旨がFARに明記されている。
| FAR 27.406 -- Acquisition of Data. (b) Additional data requirements (3) Agencies not having an established program for dissemination of computer software shall give consideration to not ordering additional computer software under the clause at 52.227-16, Additional Data Requirements, for the sole purpose of disseminating or marketing of the software to the public especially if this will provide the contractor additional incentive to make improvements to the software at its own expense and disseminate or market it. This should not preclude an agency from including a summary description of computer software available from a contractor in any data dissemination programs which it operates, with a statement as to how the potential user can obtain it through the contractor, licensee, or assignee. In cases where the contracting officer orders software for internal purposes,consideration shall be given, consistent with the Government's needs, to not ordering particular source codes,algorithms, processes, formulae or flow charts of the software if the contractor shows that this aids its efforts to disseminate or market the software. |