[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 523 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 523

  To amend the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to 
     enhance technology transfer for works prepared under certain 
            cooperative research and development agreements.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 21, 1993

Mrs. Morella introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly 
 to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology and the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to 
     enhance technology transfer for works prepared under certain 
            cooperative research and development agreements.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Technology Transfer Improvements Act 
of 1993''.

SEC. 2. COPYRIGHT FOR SOFTWARE.

    (a) Section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection:
    ``(h) Copyright of Computer Software.--Each Federal agency may 
secure copyright on behalf of the United States as author or proprietor 
in any computer software prepared in whole or in part by employees of 
the United States Government in the course of work under a cooperative 
research and development agreement entered into under the authority of 
subsection (a)(1) of this section, or under any other equivalent 
authority, notwithstanding the limitations contained in section 105 of 
title 17, United States Code; and may grant or agree to grant in 
advance to a collaborating party, licenses or assignments for such 
copyrights, or options thereto, retaining a nonexclusive, 
nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to reproduce, adapt, 
translate, distribute, and publicly perform or display the computer 
software throughout the world by or on behalf of the Government and 
such other rights as the Federal agency deems appropriate.''.
    (b) Section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
            ``(14) `Computer software' means a computer program, as 
        defined in section 101 of title 17, United States Code, and any 
        associated documentation, supporting materials, or user 
        instructions.''.

SEC. 3. ROYALTY PAYMENTS TO AUTHORS.

    Sec. 3. (a) Section 14(a) (1)(A), (2), and (3) of the Stevenson-
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710c(a) (1)(A), 
(2), and (3)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``or computer software'' after 
        ``inventions'' each place it appears;
            (2) by inserting ``or computer software'' after 
        ``invention'' each place it appears;
            (3) by inserting ``or author'' after ``inventor'' each 
        place it appears;
            (4) by inserting ``or co-author'' after ``co-inventor'' 
        each place it appears;
            (5) by inserting ``or authors'' after ``inventors'' each 
        place it appears;
            (6) by inserting ``or co-authors'' after ``co-inventors'' 
        each place it appears; and
            (7) by inserting ``or author's'' after ``inventor's'' each 
        place it appears.
    (b) Section 14(a)(1)(B) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710c(a)(1)(B)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``or computer software'' after ``income 
        from any invention'';
            (2) by inserting ``or computer software was developed'' 
        after ``the invention occurred'';
            (3) by inserting ``or computer software'' after ``licensing 
        of inventions'' in clause (i);
            (4) by inserting ``or computer software which was 
        developed'' after ``with respect to inventions'' in clause (i); 
        and
            (5) by inserting ``or computer software'' after 
        ``organizations for invention'' in clause (i).
    (c) Section 14(c) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act 
of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710c(c)) is amended by inserting ``or author'' 
after ``including inventor''.

SEC. 4. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    Section 12(c) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a(c)), is amended by inserting ``or computer 
software'' after ``inventions'' each place it appears.

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