Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), Patent and Licensing Program

Negotiating with the private sector on licensing USDA-patented technologies

The Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) negotiates with the private sector to license USDA-patented technologies, pursuant to the policy and objectives set forth in the 1980 amendments to the Patent and Trademark Laws (Bayh-Dole) Act and the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986. Companies interested in licensing USDA technology can obtain a license application on line or from an OTT licensing staff member.

License fees and royalties are negotiated on a case-by-case basis and depend on several factors, including the scope of the rights granted, the size of the potential market, and the time and financial investment required by the licensee to bring a product to market. Fair fees and royalties for each invention are determined from information provided by the license applicant concerning the product concept, market size, profitability, and additional research and development required before product introduction.

Project Examples

• Agritech, Inc. received a license for an electronic fenceless monitoring system for controlling the grazing range of cattle. The system uses radio transmitters and a collar receiver to circumscribe with an electric stimulus the area where cattle are allowed to graze. It is intended to reduce fencing and handling costs, improve the rangeland distribution of livestock, and preserve lakes and streams on public rangeland.
• The Beamflicker™ greenhouse illumination device was licensed to Hydrofarm, Inc. The Beamflicker™ consists of a sodium arc lamp and an oscillating parabolic mirror that function to provide uniform and intermittent light to all areas of a greenhouse. This unique system shortens the amount of growth inhibiting “dark time” that a plant endures and provides optimal exposure to required red light to aid in plant growth. The Beamflicker™ is a reliable, cost effective, and efficient system to ensure optimal growth of seedlings in a greenhouse environment.
• Campbell Scientific, Inc. is marketing a licensed Duff Moisture Meter (DMM600™) to quickly and accurately measure the moisture content of forest duff (organic litter on the forest floor). Ascertaining the moisture content of duff is important for land managers to determine optimal duff moisture conditions for prescribed burns and for wildfire mangers to aid in predicting the behavior characteristics of a wildfire. The moisture meter may also be used with other organic materials where moisture content is important, such as hay and cotton.

Application and Financial Information
Industries seeking a license to a USDA patent can obtain a license application from the Office of Technology Transfer, www.ars.usda.gov/business/docs.htm?docid=768

Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
Licenses can be granted both exclusively and non-exclusively or by specific field of use. Negotiated royalty rates are based upon the anticipated profit margins for the products to be marketed by the licensee.

Contact
June Blalock
USDA/Agricultural Research Service
Office of Technology Transfer
Phone: (301) 504-5257; Fax: (301) 504-5060
E-mail: license@ars.usda.gov

Janet Stockhausen
USDA/ Forest Service
Phone: (608) 231-9502; Fax: (608) 231-9508
E-mail: jistockh@facstaff.wisc.edu