What are NASA and DoE ownership contests in patent law?

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

NASA and DoE ownership contests are special proceedings used to determine the ownership of inventions made under U.S. government contracts. These contests are specifically for:

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for inventions with significant utility in aeronautical or space activity (42 U.S.C. 2457)
• The Department of Energy (DoE) for inventions relating to special nuclear material or atomic energy (42 U.S.C. 2182)

As stated in MPEP 2309: “The Board determines two such ownership contests using interference procedures.” These contests ensure that inventions made under specific government contracts are properly attributed to the respective agencies.