Completion of the appropriate form[s] (as applicable) establishes the rights and responsibilities regarding intellectual property created as a student at Pennsylvania State University, as mandated by Policy Guideline IPG02 Special Student Intellectual Property Agreement Forms.
Any intellectual property (such as undergraduate theses, inventions, discoveries, creations and new technologies) conceived or first reduced to practice by a student at The Pennsylvania State University ("University") as a work product (including homework assignments, laboratory experiments, special and independent study projects) of a "for credit" course (including SUBJ 294, 494, 594, 296, 496, and 596) will be owned by the student. The University does not claim ownership of such intellectual property.
However, intellectual property conceived or first reduced to practice in graduate research (e.g., SUBJ 600 or 610) or graduate thesis preparation (e.g., SUBJ 601, 611) credit courses will be owned by the University, and will be subject to University policies and procedures governing intellectual property and patents.
When a sponsor uses student research results, the sponsor is required to sign the Student Research Sponsorship Acknowledgment which:
Situations may occur in certain courses (e.g., SUBJ 296, 496, 596, 295, 395, 495 and 595) where students are presented with the opportunity to participate in projects or activities in which the ownership of any resulting intellectual property must be assigned either to the University or to a sponsoring entity (such as a company) as a condition of the student's participation. Students are never obligated to participate in projects or activities that require the assignment of the student's intellectual property to the University or to another entity. In these situations students will always be presented with two options:
The student's grade and/or evaluation of performance in the course will not be affected by the student's decision to participate or not to participate in projects or activities requiring the assignment of the student's intellectual property. Students should understand that the assignment of intellectual property is a binding legal agreement and that they have the right to seek independent legal advice at their own expense prior to signing this agreement. Students may obtain free legal consultation through the Division of Student Affairs.
If students agree to assign to the University all rights that they may acquire in inventions, discoveries or rights of patent that are conceived or first actually reduced to practice by them as a result of their participation in the course, they need to complete the Special Intellectual Property Agreement Form for Students - For Use When Assigning Intellectual Property to The Pennsylvania State University (Form 1).
If students agree to assign to the Sponsor all rights that they may acquire in inventions, discoveries or rights of patent that are conceived or first actually reduced to practice by them as a result of their participation in that course, they must complete the Special Intellectual Property Agreement Form for Students - For Use When Assigning Intellectual Property to Company Sponsor (Form 2).
For a complete explanation of these rights and responsibilities, refer to Policy Guideline IPG02 Special Student Intellectual Property Agreement Forms.
No form may be used that substitutes for an approved official University form without prior review and approval by the steward of the form/central office, as facilitated by the Office of Systems and Procedures (designated representative of the Associate Vice President for Budget and Finance). See Policy FN17 Required Use of Approved University Forms Appearing in the General University Reference Utility(GURU) and Procedure FN2017 Use of Approved Form Templates Appearing on the GURU website for full details.
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If you encounter any difficulties, contact the GURU support staff by submitting a Technical Support Request form.
| Document: | Ultimate Distribution: | Retention Periods: | Disposition Method: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special Intellectual Property Agreement for Students | Office of Technology Transfer (formerly Office of Technology Management) or Company Sponsor, as applicable | Maintained indefinitely | - - - - - |
| 1st Photocopy | Student | - - - - - | - - - - - |
Office of Technology Transfer (formerly Office of Technology Management),
Eric J Barron Innovation Hub
Suite 311
123 S. Burrowes Street,
State College, PA 16801
For questions, additional detail, or to request changes to this form, contact the Office of Technology Transfer.
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