Ownership of Intellectual Property

If the idea and work that generates intellectual property is specifically included in an employee’s job description, OSU owns the copyright or patent. If it is not explicitly part of assigned duties, or the ability to generate an idea is not a result of the opportunities and conditions of employment, then the copyright/idea/invention could belong to the inventor.

Intellectual property resulting from federal funds is assigned to OSU. Unless indicated otherwise in the research agreement, intellectual property from projects funded by non-federal sources belongs to OSU.

Patent and copyright ownership issues are determined on a case-by-case basis. The same process and protection for invention disclosures is provided for faculty and staff members, administrators, and students. Authors should be aware that in some instances copyright is held by the publisher or agency-a common practice for scholarly journals.

Consult the OSU policy governing your intellectual property, whether it is a patent (see OSU Policy and Procedures No. 1-0202) or a copyright (see OSU Policy and Procedures No. 1-0201). Then you should discuss your intellectual property with your department head and college research director, who will direct you to the Office of Intellectual Property Management.