Are you a student and have questions about your intellectual property rights at the University of Utah? The university has a detailed policy that guides ownership for students, faculty, and staff. Specifically, you will want to look at Policy 7-002: Patents and Inventions, which outlines the campus policies regarding patents and inventions for all groups.
The university policy is designed to protect research findings and allow them to be used by the public. “As a public institution, the University of Utah is entrusted with the responsibility to facilitate application of scientific and technical research findings for public use and to provide for an equitable disposition of interests among the inventor(s), the University, and where applicable, the sponsor,” the policy summary states.
In general, University of Utah students own inventions they create while acting as students except in limited instances. The guidelines for Policy 7-002 provide this summary of those instances:
- Non-Incidental Use of University Resources. The University owns IP created by a student who creates IP using University resources not generally available to
the student inventor’s classmates. - University Research. The University owns student IP created as a result of research that is supported or funded by or through the University.
- Student Employees. The University owns IP created by a student in his or her capacity as a University employee.
- UU Faculty or Staff Co-Inventors. The University jointly owns IP with a student if one or more of the co-inventors is a UU faculty or staff member, or
otherwise does not meet the definition of a student.
Below are a list of links and resources to learn more about these policies and how they might apply to specific person, product, or company. For questions and more information, contact the University of Utah Office of General Counsel at ogc-admin@lists.utah.edu or (801) 585-7002.
Resources
- Policy 7-002: Patents and Inventions
- Guideline 7-002: Intellectual Property Created by Students in Competitions and Related Activities
and Application of University Policy 7-002: Patents & Inventions - Guideline 7-002A: University of Utah Student Intellectual Property Guidance Summary
