Data Rights for Proprietary Software Used in DoD Programs

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DoD) is increasingly acquiring complex systems that use commercial software to meet many of the systems' functional requirements. If the commercial software is a truly commercial product and will not be modified (for example, a commercial antivirus program), then for most systems, data rights do not become an issue. However, when the commercial software is based on proprietary software that is not available as a standard commercial product or will be modified such that the end product is no longer commercially available or is different from the standard commercial product (for example, adding program-specific capabilities to a database program), the DoD must consider what data rights are necessary. This paper examines how data rights issues were addressed in the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) program; reviews additional concerns posed by the use of commercial software in the TSAT program's Space Segment, including safety and mission assurance, and how those concerns were addressed; and reviews, in less detail, data rights concerns for software incorporated in the Global Positioning System program, and how those concerns were addressed

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA528649

Entities

People

  • Bonnie Troup
  • Henry Ouyang
  • Julie Cohen

Organizations

  • Carnegie Mellon University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Satellites
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Data Rights
  • Department Of Defense
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Intellectual Property
  • Law
  • Lessons Learned
  • Open Source Software
  • Software Development
  • Standards
  • System Software
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Computer science
  • Engineering

Readers

  • Cybersecurity.
  • Software Engineering
  • Tactical Satellite Communications Systems Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Space