---
type: "LegalText"
title: "20 U.S.C. § 3480"
description: "Copyrights and patents"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 20
title_name: "EDUCATION"
chapter_number: "48"
chapter_name: "DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION"
section: "3480"
citation: "20 U.S.C. § 3480"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc20@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t20/s3480"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-20/usc20.xml"
source_hash: "2fb04b7f274b60b0db41117eb37a16e0294d37a43761408b304952b1c6f05596"
raw_snapshot_hash: "6022872c5d6a3398d1728f82f8cefcb58db9f5ff548e2a636450be1e4a8bb052"
text_hash: "4c84309e63f772c32bf7144023d89a2ced809e0da6721b15264d0dac9d4de15c"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 20 U.S.C. § 3480 - Copyrights and patents

## Text

The Secretary is authorized to acquire any of the following described rights if the property acquired thereby is for use by or for, or useful to, the Department:

(1) copyrights, patents, and applications for patents, designs, processes, and manufacturing data;

(2) licenses under copyrights, patents, and applications for patents; and

(3) releases, before suit is brought, for past infringement of patents or copyrights.

(Pub. L. 96–88, title IV, § 420, Oct. 17, 1979, 93 Stat. 687.)