Tex. Natural Resources Code § 81.021

(a) The commission may:

(1) apply for, register, secure, hold, and protect under the laws of the United States or any state or nation:

(A) a patent for the invention, discovery, or improvement of any process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter;

(B) a copyright for an original work of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, known or later developed, from which it can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device;

(C) a trademark, service mark, collective mark, or certification mark for a word, name, symbol, device, or slogan that the commission uses to identify and distinguish the commission's goods and services from other goods and services; or

(D) other evidence of protection or exclusivity issued for intellectual property;

(2) contract with a person for the sale, lease, marketing, or other distribution of the commission's intellectual property;

(3) obtain under a contract described in Subdivision (2) a royalty, license right, or other appropriate means of securing reasonable compensation for the development or purchase of the commission's intellectual property; and

(4) waive or reduce the amount of compensation secured by contract under Subdivision (3) if the commission determines that the waiver or reduction will:

(A) further a goal or mission of the commission; and

(B) result in a net benefit to the state.

(b) Money paid to the commission under this section shall be deposited to the credit of the oil and gas regulation and cleanup fund as provided by Section 81.067.