Department of Education Open Licensing Rule

Open Licensing Requirements: Unless an exception applies, if you are awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to openly license to the public grant deliverables created in whole, or in part, with Department grant funds. When the deliverable consists of modifications to pre-existing works, the license extends only to those modifications that can be separately identified and only to the extent that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or other legal restrictions on the use of pre-existing works. Additionally, a grantee or subgrantee that is awarded competitive grant funds must have a plan to disseminate these public grant deliverables. This dissemination plan can be developed and submitted after your application has been reviewed and selected for funding. For additional information on the open licensing requirements please refer to 2 CFR 3474.20

2 CFR § 3474.20

Open licensing requirement for competitive grant programs.

For competitive grants awarded in competitions announced after February 21, 2017:

(a) A grantee or subgrantee must openly license to the public the rights set out in paragraph (b)(1) of this section in any grant deliverable that is created wholly or in part with Department competitive grant funds, and that constitutes a new copyrightable work; provided, however, that when the deliverable consists of modifications to pre-existing works, the license shall extend only to those modifications that can be separately identified and only to the extent that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or other legal restrictions on the use of pre-existing works.

(b)(1) With respect to copyrightable work identified in paragraph (a) of this section, the grantee or subgrantee must grant to the public a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, and irrevocable license to—

(i) Access, reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display, and distribute the copyrightable work;

(ii) Prepare derivative works and reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute those derivative works; and

(iii) Otherwise use the copyrightable work, provided that in all such instances attribution is given to the copyright holder.

(2) Grantees and subgrantees may select any open licenses that comply with the requirements of this section, including, at the grantee’s or subgrantee’s discretion, a license that limits use to noncommercial purposes. The open license also must contain—

(i) A symbol or device that readily communicates to users the permissions granted concerning the use of the copyrightable work;

(ii) Machine-readable code for digital resources;

(iii) Readily accessed legal terms; and

(iv) The statement of attribution and disclaimer specified in 34 CFR 75.620(b).

(c) A grantee or subgrantee that is awarded competitive grant funds must have a plan to disseminate the openly licensed copyrightable works identified in paragraph (a) of this section.

(d)(1) The requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section do not apply to—

(i) Grants that provide funding for general operating expenses;

(ii) Grants that provide support to individuals (e.g., scholarships, fellowships);

(iii) Grant deliverables that are jointly funded by the Department and another Federal agency if the other Federal agency does not require the open licensing of its grant deliverables for the relevant grant program;

(iv) Copyrightable works created by the grantee or subgrantee that are not created with Department grant funds;

(v) Peer-reviewed scholarly publications that arise from any scientific research funded, either fully or partially, from grants awarded by the Department;

(vi) Grantees or subgrantees under the Ready To Learn Television Program, as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title II, Subpart 3, Sec. 2431, 20 U.S.C. 6775;

(vii) A grantee or subgrantee that has received an exception from the Secretary under 2 CFR 3474.5 and 2 CFR 200.102 (e.g., where the Secretary has determined that the grantee’s dissemination plan would likely achieve meaningful dissemination equivalent to or greater than the dissemination likely to be achieved through compliance with paragraph (a) or (b) of this section, or compliance with paragraph (a) or (b) of this section would impede the grantee’s ability to form the required partnerships necessary to carry out the purpose of the grant); and

(viii) Grantees or subgrantees for which compliance with these requirements would conflict with, or materially undermine the ability to protect or enforce, other intellectual property rights or obligations of the grantee or subgrantee, in existence or under development, including those provided under 15 U.S.C. 1051, et seq.,18 U.S.C. 1831-1839, and 35 U.S.C. 200, et seq.

(2) The requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section do not alter any applicable rights in the grant deliverable available under 17 U.S.C. 106A, 203 or 1202, 15 U.S.C. 1051, et seq., or State law.

(e) The license set out in paragraph (b)(1) of this section shall not extend to any copyrightable work incorporated in the grant deliverable that is owned by a party other than the grantee or subgrantee, unless the grantee or subgrantee has acquired the right to provide such a license in that work.

(f) Definition. For purposes of this section,

(1) A grant deliverable is a final version of a work, including any final version of program support materials necessary to the use of the deliverable, developed to carry out the purpose of the grant, as specified in the grant announcement.

(2) A derivative work means a derivative work as defined in the Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 101.