§ 2321. Validation of proprietary data restrictions

(a) Contracts Covered by Section.— This section applies to any contract for supplies or services entered into by the Department of Defense that includes provisions for the delivery of technical data.

(b) Contractor Justification for Restrictions.— A contract subject to this section shall provide that a contractor under the contract and any subcontractor under the contract at any tier shall be prepared to furnish to the contracting officer a written justification for any use or release restriction (as defined in subsection (i)) asserted by the contractor or subcontractor.

(1) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that there is a thorough review of the appropriateness of any use or release restriction asserted with respect to technical data by a contractor or subcontractor at any tier under a contract subject to this section.

(2) The review of an asserted use or release restriction under paragraph (1) shall be conducted before the end of the three-year period beginning on the later of—

(A) the date on which final payment is made on the contract under which the technical data is required to be delivered; or

(B) the date on which the technical data is delivered under the contract.

(d) Challenges to Restrictions.—

(1) The Secretary of Defense may challenge a use or release restriction asserted with respect to technical data by a contractor or subcontractor at any tier under a contract subject to this section if the Secretary finds that—

(A) reasonable grounds exist to question the current validity of the asserted restriction; and

(B) the continued adherence by the United States to the asserted restriction would make it impracticable to procure the item to which the technical data pertain competitively at a later time.

(2)

(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (C), a challenge to an asserted use or release restriction may not be made under paragraph (1) after the end of the three-year period described in subparagraph (B) unless the technical data involved—

(i) are publicly available;

(ii) have been furnished to the United States without restriction; or

(iii) have been otherwise made available without restriction.

(B) The three-year period referred to in subparagraph (A) is the three-year period beginning on the later of—

(i) the date on which final payment is made on the contract under which the technical data are required to be delivered; or

(ii) the date on which the technical data are delivered under the contract.

(C) The limitation in this paragraph shall not apply to a case in which the Secretary finds that reasonable grounds exist to believe that a contractor or subcontractor has erroneously asserted a use or release restriction with regard to technical data described in section 2320 (a)(2)(A) of this title.

(3) If the Secretary challenges an asserted use or release restriction under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide written notice of the challenge to the contractor or subcontractor asserting the restriction. Any such notice shall—

(A) state the specific grounds for challenging the asserted restriction;

(B) require a response within 60 days justifying the current validity of the asserted restriction; and

(4) It is a justification of an asserted use or release restriction challenged under paragraph (1) that, within the three-year period preceding the challenge to the restriction, the Department of Defense validated a restriction identical to the asserted restriction if—

(A) such validation occurred after a challenge to the validated restriction under this subsection; and

(B) the validated restriction was asserted by the same contractor or subcontractor (or a licensee of such contractor or subcontractor).

(e) Time for Contractors to Submit Justifications.— If a contractor or subcontractor asserting a use or release restriction submits to the contracting officer a written request, showing the need for additional time to comply with the requirement to justify the current validity of the asserted restriction, additional time to adequately permit the submission of such justification shall be provided by the contracting officer as appropriate. If a party asserting a restriction receives notices of challenges to restrictions on technical data from more than one contracting officer, and notifies each contracting officer of the existence of more than one challenge, the contracting officer initiating the first in time challenge, after consultation with the party asserting the restriction and the other contracting officers, shall formulate a schedule of responses to each of the challenges that will afford the party asserting the restriction with an equitable opportunity to respond to each such challenge.

(f) Presumption of Development Exclusively at Private Expense.—

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), in the case of a challenge to a use or release restriction that is asserted with respect to technical data of a contractor or subcontractor under a contract for commercial items, the contracting officer shall presume that the contractor or subcontractor has justified the restriction on the basis that the item was developed exclusively at private expense, whether or not the contractor or subcontractor submits a justification in response to the notice provided pursuant to subsection (d)(3). In such a case, the challenge to the use or release restriction may be sustained only if information provided by the Department of Defense demonstrates that the item was not developed exclusively at private expense.

(2) In the case of a challenge to a use or release restriction that is asserted with respect to technical data of a contractor or subcontractor (other than technical data for a commercially available off-the-shelf item as defined in section 35(c) ^[1] of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 431 (c))) for a major system or a subsystem or component thereof on the basis that the major system, subsystem or component was developed exclusively at private expense, the challenge to the use or release restriction shall be sustained unless information provided by the contractor or subcontractor demonstrates that the item was developed exclusively at private expense.

(g) Decision by Contracting Officer.—

(1) Upon a failure by the contractor or subcontractor to submit any response under subsection (d)(3), the contracting officer shall issue a decision pertaining to the validity of the asserted restriction.

(2) After review of any justification submitted in response to the notice provided pursuant to subsection (d)(3), the contracting officer shall, within 60 days of receipt of any justification submitted, issue a decision or notify the party asserting the restriction of the time within which a decision will be issued.

(h) Claims.— If a claim pertaining to the validity of the asserted restriction is submitted in writing to a contracting officer by a contractor or subcontractor at any tier, such claim shall be considered a claim within the meaning of chapter 71 of title 41.

(i) Rights and Liability Upon Final Disposition.—

(1) If, upon final disposition, the contracting officer’s challenge to the use or release restriction is sustained—

(A) the restriction shall be cancelled; and

(B) if the asserted restriction is found not to be substantially justified, the contractor or subcontractor asserting the restriction shall be liable to the United States for payment of the cost to the United States of reviewing the asserted restriction and the fees and other expenses (as defined in section 2412 (d)(2)(A) of title 28) incurred by the United States in challenging the asserted restriction, unless special circumstances would make such payment unjust.

(2) If, upon final disposition, the contracting officer’s challenge to the use or release restriction is not sustained—

(A) the United States shall continue to be bound by the restriction; and

(B) the United States shall be liable for payment to the party asserting the restriction for fees and other expenses (as defined in section 2412 (d)(2)(A) of title 28) incurred by the party asserting the restriction in defending the asserted restriction if the challenge by the United States is found not to be made in good faith.

(j) Use or Release Restriction Defined.— In this section, the term “use or release restriction”, with respect to technical data delivered to the United States under a contract subject to this section, means a restriction by the contractor or subcontractor on the right of the United States—

(1) to use such technical data; or

(2) to release or disclose such technical data to persons outside the Government or permit the use of such technical data by persons outside the Government.

[1] See References in Text note below.

U.S. Code

§ 2321. Validation of proprietary data restrictions