---
kind: "section"
citation: "35 U.S.C. § 208"
title: "35"
title_heading: "Patents"
number: "208"
heading: "Regulations governing Federal licensing"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/35/208"
units:
  - "Part II — Patentability of Inventions and Grant of Patents"
  - "Chapter 18 — Patent Rights in Inventions Made with Federal Assistance"
---

# §208. Regulations governing Federal licensing


The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to promulgate regulations specifying the terms and conditions upon which any federally owned [invention](/usc/35/201.md?p=d), other than [inventions](/usc/35/201.md?p=d) owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, may be licensed on a nonexclusive, partially exclusive, or exclusive basis.


## Source credit

(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

### Amendments

1984—Pub. L. 98–620 substituted “Secretary of Commerce” for “Administrator of General Services”.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section 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.