Intellectual Property and Weapon Sustainment

May, 2018
IDA document: D-8991
FFRDC: Systems and Analyses Center
Type: Research Summary/Research Insights , Documents
Division: Strategy, Forces and Resources Division
Authors:

Authors

Richard Van Atta See more authors

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The Department of Defense (DoD) often does not have access to weapon-related intellectual property (IP)—patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets—needed to repair and maintain weapon systems. The lack of rights to IP data contributes to higher long-term sustainment costs by inhibiting DoD’s ability to use competitive contracting for repair parts, maintenance, and follow-on production.