第２章　米国政府支援により開発されたソフトウェアの知的財産の扱いに関する8つの質問に対する回答
　　　　Eight key questions

Contents

The US software industry has benefited greatly from federally-funded software - but only in part because of the US’s open IP policy
Government policy influences the relationship between government and contractor, but the relationship between contractor and author is generally decided by IP legislation
Treatment of IP generated in ‘mixed funding’ contracts is still a gray area, with many possible scenarios and case-by-case negotiation
Government IP policy has not yet been affected by the Open Source movement, although through its recent amendment to the FOIA the government may have unwittingly formed an open source policy!
Handling of rights generated by multiple parties is in practice a relatively straightforward issue, with industry generally the winner
Software generated by multiple parties follows the same pattern as other forms of multiple-party IP, although occasionally problems can emerge when commercial software is modified by subcontractors
The government is generally flexible with regard to delivery of source code, and in many cases does not require its disclosure
Software funded by government generally pays for itself when it is acquired, so although there may be an opportunity loss if it is not commercialized, there is no waste of taxpayer funds