---
type: "LegalText"
title: "35 U.S.C. § 208"
description: "Regulations governing Federal licensing"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 35
title_name: "PATENTS"
chapter_number: "18"
chapter_name: "PATENT RIGHTS IN INVENTIONS MADE WITH FEDERAL ASSISTANCE"
section: "208"
citation: "35 U.S.C. § 208"
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_usc35@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t35/s208"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-35/usc35.xml"
source_hash: "f9893205cff130f9748587e0ba4d65b26663feaae8b553feec0e4904c55b10c0"
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text_hash: "e93c90f4341dc71be72fbd4ee9331c967e9ed4a909f8850b35d22f03f93ef951"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 35 U.S.C. § 208 - Regulations governing Federal licensing

## Text

The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to promulgate regulations specifying the terms and conditions upon which any federally owned invention, other than inventions owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, may be licensed on a nonexclusive, partially exclusive, or exclusive basis.

(Added Pub. L. 96–517, § 6(a), Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 3024; amended Pub. L. 98–620, title V, § 501(12), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3367.)

## Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments1984—Pub. L. 98–620 substituted “Secretary of Commerce” for “Administrator of General Services”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective DateSection effective July 1, 1981, but implementing regulations authorized to be issued earlier, see section 8(f) of Pub. L. 96–517, set out as an Effective Date of 1980 Amendment note under section 41 of this title.