Defense Civilian Faculty Copyright Act of 2025
- Sponsor
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2]
- Committees
- Judiciary Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Dec 11, 2025
Bottom line
The bill ensures the Federal Government can freely use academic and literary works produced by civilian faculty at USUHS, aligning their copyright status with other federal institutions.
What it actually does
This bill amends Title 17 of the U.S. Code to grant the Federal Government a royalty-free right to use literary works created by civilian faculty members of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) during their employment. It achieves this by adding USUHS to a specific list of entities in copyright law where such a right applies, ensuring the government can utilize these works without incurring licensing fees.
Proponents argue
Supporters argue this bill streamlines the government's ability to utilize intellectual property developed by its employees at USUHS, promoting efficient knowledge sharing and reducing potential costs associated with licensing. They contend it harmonizes USUHS's copyright framework with other federal entities, ensuring consistency in how government-funded research and educational materials are managed and disseminated for public benefit and military readiness.
Opponents contend
Critics might argue that this provision could disincentivize civilian faculty at USUHS from producing valuable literary works if they lose potential royalty income, potentially impacting recruitment or retention of top talent. They might also contend that it diminishes the intellectual property rights of individual creators without sufficient compensation, potentially leading to a perception of unfairness compared to faculty at non-federal institutions.
The bill is very short and clear, allowing for a quick and thorough understanding of its provisions.
Section 2(a)
Royalty-Free Use of USUHS Civilian Faculty Literary Works
This provision amends federal copyright law to allow the U.S. government to use, without paying royalties, any literary works created by civilian faculty members of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) as part of their job. This means that textbooks, research papers, or other written materials produced by these faculty members while employed by USUHS can be freely used by any part of the Federal Government.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue this provision ensures that intellectual products developed with federal resources at USUHS are readily available for government use, particularly for military education, training, and research, without additional cost or bureaucratic hurdles. They believe it promotes the public interest by maximizing the utility of federally funded intellectual output.
Critics contend
Opponents might argue that this provision could undermine the intellectual property rights of individual faculty members, potentially making USUHS less attractive to top academic talent who might prefer institutions where they retain full copyright control and potential royalty earnings. They contend it could be seen as an erosion of academic freedom and personal ownership.
Tradeoffs
The provision balances the government's interest in free access and dissemination of federally funded intellectual property against the individual intellectual property rights and potential financial incentives of civilian faculty members.
Section 2(b)
Technical Adjustments to Copyright Code References
This section makes necessary technical updates to other parts of Section 105 of Title 17. Because a new subparagraph (L) is inserted, the existing subparagraphs (L), (M), and (N) are re-lettered to (M), (N), and (O) respectively. These conforming amendments ensure that cross-references within the copyright law correctly point to the re-lettered subsections.