Disputes Are Now Arising Over Who Owns The Intellectual Property Rights On The F-35 Program

Air Force F-35s fly in formation over Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Photo: Air Force

National Defense: Intellectual Property Fights Par for the Course in F-35 Program

When the Pentagon embarked on the acquisition of the F-35 joint strike fighter in 2001, little thought was given to who legally owned the rights to the technical data and intellectual property associated with the aircraft.

Fifteen years later, the lack of clear contractual language about ownership of technical data and software code has put the Pentagon in a bind and has limited the government’s options on how to maintain, upgrade and manage the Pentagon’s largest weapons acquisition, according to the officer who runs the F-35 program, Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan.

“I am playing catch-up now every which way I turn when it comes to intellectual property rights in the F-35 program,” Bogdan told a group of government and industry executives who are reviewing the existing body of laws and regulations regarding rights in technical data.

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WNU Editor: WTF!!!! It is bad enough that the F-35 program is years behind and billions over budget .... but to learn that the Pentagon is now fighting over intellectual property rights .... and not just on the F-35 program!!!! To say that something is wrong when it comes to the Pentagon's development and procurement program is an understatement.