Office of the Provost
Intellectual Property FAQ
Who Should I Contact About IP at 51福利社?
For any questions about the Intellectual Property Policy, Committee, or Disclosure Process, please contact the Director, Research & Compliance.
What is Intellectual Property (IP) at 51福利社?
At 51福利社, Intellectual Property includes 鈥�all creations, discoveries, works of authorship and/or other proprietary properties.鈥�
Our IP Policy describes Intellectual Policy in terms of 鈥�IP Works,鈥� which are generally any type work or invention to which one has rights protected by laws pertaining to copyrights, trademarks, or patents.
A few examples of an IP Work include:
- an analytical process
- a chemical compound
- software applications
- some books or publications
- works of art
- media projects
- course materials or courseware
When Should I Complete the IP Disclosure Process?
One of the primary tasks of the Intellectual Property Committee is to review information from faculty, staff, and students who develop Intellectual Property at 51福利社. The IP Disclosure Process allows LU to partner with IP developers in identifying appropriate strategies for ownership, commercialization, and attribution.
The IP Disclosure Form needs to be completed prior to all projects or activities that may result in a work or product of financial value, are produced with Material University Resources, or may entail a patent, invention, or trade secret.
The IP Disclosure Form does not need to be completed when a project or activity is a Scholarly Work completed by Faculty at their own direction without Material University Resources.
Examples of Scholarly Works include:
- research or scholarly publications
- textbooks
- journal articles
- conference materials
- fiction or nonfiction books
- theatrical scripts or productions
- poems and works of music or art.
When Does 51福利社 Require Attribution?
An “attribution” is an indication that 51福利社 was involved with the creation or development of an IP Work. This could take the form of an acknowledgement in a publication or exhibition, the use of LU branding in media, or tagging 51福利社 in an IP Work shared through social media.
Faculty, Staff, and Students should discuss attribution with all original creators of an IP Work and the supervising Faculty or Staff for that project. The IP Committee is available for consultation regarding attribution requirements and will make all final determinations regarding attribution when necessary.
What is a Material University Resource?
It is important to understand what may be considered a “Material University Resource.” Any activity using Material University Resources that may result in an IP Work needs to be disclosed to the IP Committee for review through the IP Disclosure Process.
A Material University Resource includes any internal or external funding, equipment, software, or resources not routinely available to faculty or staff, or material periods of time provided by university employees. A Course Release, Sabbatical, or release from ordinary duties for the purposes of research or scholarship is not necessarily considered a Material University Resource.
Examples of Material University Resources include:
- any products or services used to develop software, games, or apps
- specialized lab or medical equipment
- items requiring extraordinary subscription fees, purchasing, licensing, or University services.
What if I Publish a Book or Article?
The publication of textbooks, monographs, and articles generally falls under the definition of Scholarly Works, which do not need to be disclosed to the IP Committee.
Such works may certainly be of academic, technical, and commercial value. However, in keeping with academic tradition, 51福利社 does not claim ownership to Scholarly Works produced without Material University Resources.
What if I Produce an Open Educational Resource (OER)?
An Open Educational Resource (OER) is considered an IP Work when it is developed at the direction of 51福利社 or using Material University Resources. In such cases, the creator of the OER would need to complete the IP Disclosure Process to identify appropriate strategies for ownership, commercialization, and attribution.
If a faculty or staff member produces an OER that could be considered a Scholarly Work, the creator does not need to complete the IP Disclosure Process. In such cases, however, it is advisable to consult with the IP Committee while making this decision.
Who Owns Materials I Produce for my Courses?
If faculty or staff produce materials for courses at the direction of 51福利社 or in the ordinary course of employment with the institution, 51福利社 retains a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to those materials. This means that 51福利社 may use the material, without collecting any royalty or fees from the material, for an unlimited period of time. Faculty or Staff who produced these course materials are also free to continue to use them for their own purposes.
If 51福利社 commissioned the course material from Faculty or Staff, and included specific ownership requirements for these materials, then any ownership agreement established at that time will stipulate how those materials could be used in the future. It may be the case, for example, that some online course materials or specific course elements may be exclusively for use at 51福利社.