Intellectual property

Intellectual property and agreements

Materials that can be copyrighted are generally the property of the original author, absent any specific written agreement. Because of this, it’s critical to obtain a written agreement that includes an assignment of copyright (“work for hire” language) when forming an agreement involving intellectual property, to ensure that you have full rights to use the resulting work. The University’s Independent Contractor Documentation form is commonly used for this purpose and has the appropriate work for hire language to protect your rights.

The University’s copyright policy is set forth in the Collected Rules and Regulations and governs the rights of the University, its faculty, staff, and other employees by establishing policies governing the ownership, use, and rights to income of copyrighted materials.

Granting permission to University-owned materials

The University is often asked to grant permission to use its own copyrighted materials. Such permission should be documented in writing. We encourage you to contact the Technology Advancement office for assistance in handling such requests.

Special issues relating to using images, likeness, voice and/or interview or biographical material of individuals

In addition to the intellectual property rights held by the person recording an individual, the individual may also have privacy rights which need to be released in order to ensure that you have full permission to use the materials. A written release should be obtained for this purpose. Please contact our office for assistance.

Patents

The Technology Advancement office handles all patent-related activities.