PURPOSE. NASA may receive royalties or other payments as a result of the licensing or assignment of inventions described and claimed in patents and patent applications, or as otherwise provided by law. NASA, in accordance with law, must distribute a percentage of such royalties and other payments it receives to the U.S. Government employee inventors and to individuals who have directly assigned their undivided interests in an invention to NASA. The balance of any royalties or other payments remaining after such distributions are to be made available for use by NASA Headquarters, NASA Centers, the NASA Management Office-Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Component Facilities. Additionally, royalties or other payments received from the licensing of patents and patent applications for inventions made by contractors or grantees, where title to such inventions has been assigned to or is otherwise vested in NASA, are to be made available for use by NASA Headquarters, the NASA Centers, the NASA Management Office—JPL, and Component Facilities. This NPR establishes the responsibilities and procedures for such distributions.

APPLICABILITY. This NPR is applicable to NASA Headquarters and NASA Centers, including Component Facilities.

This NPR applies to royalties or other payments received on account of an invention made in whole or in part by a NASA employee, an individual directly assigning his or her interest in an invention to the U.S. Government, or an employee of another U.S. Government agency when such invention is assigned to NASA.

This NPR applies to royalties or other payments received on account of an invention made by an employee of another U.S. Government agency in which custody of the invention has been transferred to NASA, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 207, unless otherwise agreed between NASA and the transferring agency.

This NPR is applicable to royalties or other payments received on account of a licensed invention made solely by contractors or grantees in which the title to such inventions has been assigned to or otherwise vested in NASA.

This NPR is applicable to royalties or other payments received on account of a licensed invention made solely by contractors or grantees of another government agency in which custody of the invention has been transferred to NASA, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 207, unless otherwise agreed upon between NASA and the transferring agency.

The term "royalties and other payments" means any money, including licensing fees, received as consideration for NASA granting a license or other rights in an invention.