42 USC § 7608 - Mandatory licensing

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t42/s7608"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "42 USC § 7608 - Mandatory licensing"
title_number: 42
title_name: "THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE"
section_number: "7608"
section_name: "Mandatory licensing"
chapter_number: 85
chapter_name: "AIR POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL"
subchapter_number: "III"
subchapter_name: "GENERAL PROVISIONS"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(July 14, 1955, ch. 360, title III, § 308, as added Pub. L. 91–604, § 12(a), Dec. 31, 1970, 84 Stat. 1708.)"
---


# § 7608. Mandatory licensing

Whenever the Attorney General determines, upon application of the Administrator—

**(1)** that—

**(A)** in the implementation of the requirements of section 7411, 7412, or 7521 of this title, a right under any United States letters patent, which is being used or intended for public or commercial use and not otherwise reasonably available, is necessary to enable any person required to comply with such limitation to so comply, and

**(B)** there are no reasonable alternative methods to accomplish such purpose, and

**(2)** that the unavailability of such right may result in a substantial lessening of competition or tendency to create a monopoly in any line of commerce in any section of the country,

the Attorney General may so certify to a district court of the United States, which may issue an order requiring the person who owns such patent to license it on such reasonable terms and conditions as the court, after hearing, may determine. Such certification may be made to the district court for the district in which the person owning the patent resides, does business, or is found.

---

**Source Credit**: (July 14, 1955, ch. 360, title III, § 308, as added Pub. L. 91–604, § 12(a), Dec. 31, 1970, 84 Stat. 1708.)

## Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to .

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 308 of act , was renumbered section 315 by  and is classified to .

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Modification or Rescission of Rules, Regulations, Orders, Determinations, Contracts, Certifications, Authorizations, Delegations, and Other Actions

All rules, regulations, orders, determinations, contracts, certifications, authorizations, delegations, or other actions duly issued, made, or taken by or pursuant to act , the Clean Air Act, as in effect immediately prior to the date of enactment of  [] to continue in full force and effect until modified or rescinded in accordance with act , as amended by  [this chapter], see , set out as an Effective Date of 1977 Amendment note under .