9.00 Intellectual Property Policy Statement
The University's policy on intellectual property pertains to patentable inventions and copyright-protected works created by its faculty members, staff members, postdoctoral appointees, and students. Guidance on the use of other individual or University's copyright protected material is governed by Chapter III, Section 3.38, Use of Copyrighted Materials for Educational Research Purposes.
Because there are differences between the legal and academic treatment of patentable inventions and copyright-protected works, the University provides two companion policy statements: a Patent Policy and a Copyright Policy. The University encourages the creation of intellectual property by the dedicated efforts of its employees, faculty and students. It is the University’s intent to protect the rights of all parties, including the individual, the University, and the sponsoring entity (if applicable), and to share the benefits in the event these creations have commercial value.
University resources are to be used solely for University purposes and not for personal commercial activities. Commercialization of research, with knowledge and approval by the University, is permitted and encouraged among faculty and staff.
All Creators of intellectual property shall, upon request, execute appropriate assignment and/or other documents required to set forth effectively ownership and rights as specified in this Policy. "Creator" refers to an individual or group of individuals who make, conceive, reduce to practice, author, or otherwise make a substantive intellectual contribution to the creation of intellectual property. "Creator" includes the definition of "inventor" used in U.S. patent law and the definition of "author" used in the U.S. Copyright Act.
After consultation with the Creator, the University reserves the sole right in its exclusive discretion to make agreements regarding the retention, ownership, patenting, licensing, accessing, and any other use or disposition of any right, title or interest in University Intellectual Property. The University and/or its designee will determine whether to commit funding to obtain patent, copyright, or trademark protection for particular disclosed University Intellectual Property and/or to seek to identify one or more licensees who will bear the cost of obtaining that legal protection. No Creator of University Intellectual Property has the capability or authority to assign, license or otherwise dispose of University Intellectual Property except to the University or its designee pursuant to this Agreement. University personnel engaged in outside activities shall have no authority to enter into an intellectual Property agreement that conflicts with this policy. Persons who wish to confirm that a consulting, employment, or other agreement that addresses assignment of intellectual property associated with a proposed outside activity does not conflict with this policy should submit a copy of the agreement for review.
This Policy shall be deemed a part of the conditions of employment for every employee of the University and a part of the conditions of enrollment and attendance at the University for all students. All individuals (whether or not employed by, compensated by or enrolled at the University) participating in a sponsored project and/or making significant use of University-administered resources shall accept this Policy unless an exception is approved in writing by the University.
Significant use of University resources may include: use of substantial funds received by the University through a contract or grant, use of funds allocated from internal discretionary pools, assistance of support staff outside of the inventor's department or unit (assistance of support staff from the inventor's department when such is assistance is greater than that normally provided others in the department). Significant use of University resources also may include use of shared research equipment or facilities.
The following, when customarily provided to researchers in their respective disciplines and units, generally are not considered significant use of University resources: salary, competitive fellowships, library resources, computers, communications technologies, secretarial services, assigned offices and laboratories, and utilities, instructional technology, software, or hardware.
Outside activities authorized by the University for University faculty or staff remain subject to this policy to the extent that they involve or relate to the use of University resources. Employees engaged in external consulting work or business are responsible for ensuring that agreements emanating from such work are not in conflict with University policy or with the University's contractual commitments. Such employees should make their University obligations known to others with whom they make such agreements and should provide other parties to such agreements with a statement of applicable University policies regarding ownership of intellectual property and related rights. Employees of the University have no authority to enter into agreements inconsistent with this Policy.
Works created as assignments. Any work created by faculty, staff members, or student employees whenever such work is the product of their assigned tasks or is a reasonably expected product of their employment generally are subject to institutional ownership because they are either assigned tasks or reasonably expected outcomes of employment, excluding seated, online, and blended courses, individually or jointly developed. Course content, whether seated, online or blended, shall be owned by the Creator(s) unless the content was developed under a specific agreement or with the use of substantial University resources. Other individuals do not have a license to use course content for any other purpose, except as approved by University and Creator. Any license for the University to otherwise use course content or course materials developed by faculty Creator(s) shall be individually negotiated with those Creator(s). In addition, the University acknowledges that a limited number of professional staff members have certain prerogatives to set their own research, scholarly, pedagogical, or creative tasks.
Accordingly, the University is prepared to acknowledge personal ownership of works arising from these professional endeavors subject to other conditions of this policy. While the University acknowledges that generally a thesis or other written research product has intellectual property ownership with the student, the University has a license in the research product in those instances in which a faculty member at the University supervises and has contributed substantially to a thesis or laboratory working group. In such cases, any publication that arises from a thesis shall be put forward as a co-authored work by the student and the faculty member, unless the faculty member or Intellectual Property Committee agrees otherwise.
Because there are differences between the legal and academic treatment of patentable inventions and copyright-protected works, the University provides two companion policy statements: a Patent Policy and a Copyright Policy. The University encourages the creation of intellectual property by the dedicated efforts of its employees, faculty and students. It is the University’s intent to protect the rights of all parties, including the individual, the University, and the sponsoring entity (if applicable), and to share the benefits in the event these creations have commercial value.
University resources are to be used solely for University purposes and not for personal commercial activities. Commercialization of research, with knowledge and approval by the University, is permitted and encouraged among faculty and staff.
All Creators of intellectual property shall, upon request, execute appropriate assignment and/or other documents required to set forth effectively ownership and rights as specified in this Policy. "Creator" refers to an individual or group of individuals who make, conceive, reduce to practice, author, or otherwise make a substantive intellectual contribution to the creation of intellectual property. "Creator" includes the definition of "inventor" used in U.S. patent law and the definition of "author" used in the U.S. Copyright Act.
After consultation with the Creator, the University reserves the sole right in its exclusive discretion to make agreements regarding the retention, ownership, patenting, licensing, accessing, and any other use or disposition of any right, title or interest in University Intellectual Property. The University and/or its designee will determine whether to commit funding to obtain patent, copyright, or trademark protection for particular disclosed University Intellectual Property and/or to seek to identify one or more licensees who will bear the cost of obtaining that legal protection. No Creator of University Intellectual Property has the capability or authority to assign, license or otherwise dispose of University Intellectual Property except to the University or its designee pursuant to this Agreement. University personnel engaged in outside activities shall have no authority to enter into an intellectual Property agreement that conflicts with this policy. Persons who wish to confirm that a consulting, employment, or other agreement that addresses assignment of intellectual property associated with a proposed outside activity does not conflict with this policy should submit a copy of the agreement for review.
This Policy shall be deemed a part of the conditions of employment for every employee of the University and a part of the conditions of enrollment and attendance at the University for all students. All individuals (whether or not employed by, compensated by or enrolled at the University) participating in a sponsored project and/or making significant use of University-administered resources shall accept this Policy unless an exception is approved in writing by the University.
Significant use of University resources may include: use of substantial funds received by the University through a contract or grant, use of funds allocated from internal discretionary pools, assistance of support staff outside of the inventor's department or unit (assistance of support staff from the inventor's department when such is assistance is greater than that normally provided others in the department). Significant use of University resources also may include use of shared research equipment or facilities.
The following, when customarily provided to researchers in their respective disciplines and units, generally are not considered significant use of University resources: salary, competitive fellowships, library resources, computers, communications technologies, secretarial services, assigned offices and laboratories, and utilities, instructional technology, software, or hardware.
Outside activities authorized by the University for University faculty or staff remain subject to this policy to the extent that they involve or relate to the use of University resources. Employees engaged in external consulting work or business are responsible for ensuring that agreements emanating from such work are not in conflict with University policy or with the University's contractual commitments. Such employees should make their University obligations known to others with whom they make such agreements and should provide other parties to such agreements with a statement of applicable University policies regarding ownership of intellectual property and related rights. Employees of the University have no authority to enter into agreements inconsistent with this Policy.
Works created as assignments. Any work created by faculty, staff members, or student employees whenever such work is the product of their assigned tasks or is a reasonably expected product of their employment generally are subject to institutional ownership because they are either assigned tasks or reasonably expected outcomes of employment, excluding seated, online, and blended courses, individually or jointly developed. Course content, whether seated, online or blended, shall be owned by the Creator(s) unless the content was developed under a specific agreement or with the use of substantial University resources. Other individuals do not have a license to use course content for any other purpose, except as approved by University and Creator. Any license for the University to otherwise use course content or course materials developed by faculty Creator(s) shall be individually negotiated with those Creator(s). In addition, the University acknowledges that a limited number of professional staff members have certain prerogatives to set their own research, scholarly, pedagogical, or creative tasks.
Accordingly, the University is prepared to acknowledge personal ownership of works arising from these professional endeavors subject to other conditions of this policy. While the University acknowledges that generally a thesis or other written research product has intellectual property ownership with the student, the University has a license in the research product in those instances in which a faculty member at the University supervises and has contributed substantially to a thesis or laboratory working group. In such cases, any publication that arises from a thesis shall be put forward as a co-authored work by the student and the faculty member, unless the faculty member or Intellectual Property Committee agrees otherwise.
Effective Date
Approved by Board of Curators: January 15, 2026