Policies and Documents
Intellectual Property Policies
Discoveries and Patents
Regent Policy 5.I and Administrative Policy Statement (APS) 1013 require that every Included Person, by accepting employment with the University of Colorado (CU) or making Substantial Use of University Resources assigns to the Regents of the University of Colorado any legal rights that may exist in the University Discoveries made by such Included Person and any Intellectual Property in such University Discoveries. In furtherance of the management of such University Discoveries and Intellectual Property in such University Discoveries, Regent Policy 5.I and APS 1013 also require that each campus’s chancellor establish a campus policy to address how the campus will protect and commercialize University Discoveries made by any Included Person whose primary relationship, appointment, or affiliation with CU is with the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) campus.
The IP Policy and the Intellectual Property Procedure on Discoveries and Patents for Their Protection and Commercialization (IP Procedure) address how CU Boulder will protect and commercialize Campus Discoveries and distribute all Net Receipts.
This policy of the University of Colorado has been established to accomplish the following objectives:
- To encourage the faculty and staff employees of the University to make all discoveries available for public use and benefit as efficiently and quickly as possible;
- To protect the University's primary role of teaching and research by regulating the involvement of the University, its faculty, staff employees, and all collaborators in the development of discoveries;
- To protect the potential equities of the University, its faculty and staff employees in discoveries; and
- To advance and encourage research within the University by providing a method of using royalty income from discoveries for research purposes.
This policy enhances the environment for development and commercialization of intellectual property such as inventions, patents and software. In this policy the University of Colorado reaffirms its commitment to academic freedom. The University of Colorado also encourages and rewards its discoverers and innovators who benefit society and who create significant economic resources for themselves, their research programs and the University.
Educational Materials
This policy statement clarifies the rights, responsibilities and rewards for the University and its employees in the development and commercialization of educational materials. The University of Colorado in this policy, as elsewhere, reaffirms its commitment to the principles of academic freedom. The University of Colorado also reaffirms its commitment to encouraging and rewarding authors, creators, researchers and inventors who are developing intellectual property. The University supports the creative works of authors, who will under most circumstances retain broad rights in support of their creative endeavors. This policy does not change the traditional relationship between the University and employees who, independent from using substantial University resources, retain broad rights of ownership of scholarly and artistic works.
Scholarly and Creative Works
From Policy 5.H.5: “The University of Colorado, through this policy, assigns the copyright it has in scholarly and creative works to the authors of the works, unless otherwise addressed in Regent Policy 5.I: Intellectual Property Related to Discoveries and Patents for their Protection and Commercialization, APS 1013: Intellectual Property Policy on Discoveries and Patents for Their Protection and Commercialization, and any other related policies.
Ownership and use of scholarly and creative works that are developed as a part of sponsored programs are subject to the terms of the associated contract/grant. Similarly, ownership and use of scholarly and creative works that are specifically commissioned by university contract are subject to the terms of the contract.”