FlightSafety’s Data Restrictions Were Improper, Fed. Cir. Rules

The US Air Force properly objected to FlightSafety International Inc.'s attempt to restrict use of its aircrew training system data, the Federal Circuit affirmed Friday.

The Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals correctly ruled in 2022 that FlightSafety’s restrictive markings on technical drawings violated the government’s data rights, Judge Timothy B. Dyk of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said.

The appeals court isn’t “saying that contractors cannot place restrictive markings on their privately funded commercial data, so long as those markings accurately describe the government’s rights in that data,” Dyk said. Contractors need to use markings ...