If the government owns or can freely use the IP, the company's moat is weaker. Lenders and buyers check ownership, licences back, and any duty to exploit.
Across the 3 regimes
ESA and EU
ESA: the contractor owns the IP, ESA and participating states get access rights, and ESA can require assignment on failure to register or exploit. EU programmes: the Union owns assets created under them, with exceptions.
United States
FAR 52.227-14: unlimited government rights in data first produced under the contract, with protection for limited rights data and restricted software. DoD uses DFARS terms.
UK and France
UK MOD: contractor usually owns results with MOD use rights (DEFCON 705); vesting in MOD (DEFCON 703) only in exceptional cases. France: set by contract (CNES, DGA).
The rest of this page sets out the 5 quoted provisions behind these cells, what is usually negotiated, and what lenders and buyers ask. It is free with a work email, along with the full tools, guides and register downloads.
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Related
General information on public law and standard terms as at 28 Oct 2026, not legal advice on any contract or transaction. Quoted wording is checked against the official text linked to it.