If the Government has funded the entire development of an item, what type of rights does it obtain?

When the Government funds the entire development of an item, it acquires Unlimited Rights to the data and materials produced as a result of that funding. This means that the Government has the right to use, modify, reproduce, release, and distribute the work without any further permission or payment to the contractor. This broad range of rights is intended to ensure that the Government can fully leverage the outputs of its investments, particularly when taxpayer money has been used to develop the item.

This concept is grounded in the idea that since the Government has fully financed the development, it should have complete ownership and control over the resulting intellectual property. This also facilitates the Government's efforts to utilize and distribute the developed technology or products effectively, without being restricted by licensing agreements or limitations that could hinder operational capabilities.

The other types of rights mentioned reflect varying levels of control and restrictions that might apply in scenarios where the contractor retains some rights to the work or when the Government does not fully fund the development.