To embed, copy and paste the code into your website or blog: The Government has many rules regarding the protection of data. Government contractors must understand these rules and the importance of timely and properly marking data that they own or develop in performance of a government contract in order to protect it from unauthorized use, release or disclosure by both the Government and third parties. The provisions that govern this area may differ depending on the agency and contracting vehicle used. The regulations in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) and the Department of Defense (“DoD”) FAR Supplement (“DFARS”) do not spell out all of the various kinds of legends that might be used to mark data. DFARS 252.227-7013, the noncommercial technical data rights clause applicable to DoD contracts, identifies four types of rights – Unlimited Rights, Government Purpose License Rights (“GPLR”), Limited Rights (“LR”), and Specifically Negotiated License Rights (“SNLR”) – and provides markings to be used for GPLR, LR, SNLR. The Government may, but is not required to, reject markings that do not conform with the markings in that clause. DFARS 227.7103-12; 252.227-7013(h). However, where a contractor includes a protective legend on its data, even if it is not the precise one listed in the agency’s data rights clause, it should be deemed to have put the Government and others on notice that the contractor considers there to be limits on how the data can be used and to whom it can be released.