Allegations of Patent Infringement and Noncompliance with Specifications

The protester to a contract award contended that it had exclusive rights to patents covering items being purchased and that the awardee had been advised that a specified time was not acceptable. Protests against alleged patent infringements are not considered by GAO since the remedy is court action against the Government. Since the protester had prior knowledge of alleged noncompliance with specifications, the protest at the time of award was untimely.