Ownership of Intellectual Property Rights

UAB recognizes that research and scholarship should be encouraged and carried out without regard to financial gain from licensing fees, royalties, or other such income. However, UAB also recognizes that patentable inventions, discoveries, software programs, and other intellectual property often arise from UAB-related staff or faculty efforts.

The policies governing the administration of inventions are included in the Board of Trustees Rule 509. Other institutional policies govern other forms of intellectual property including computer software. Those policies also provide recognition and incentive to inventors and at the same time ensure that UAB shares in the rights pertaining to inventions in which it has an investment. Any income accruing to UAB is used in the furtherance of its academic mission.

Disclosure of discoveries and inventions which appear to have commercial value and/or utility should be made to The UAB Research Foundation. Any such invention or discovery (1) which is the result of research carried on by, or under the direction of, any employee of the University and/or having the costs thereof paid from University funds or from funds under the control of, or administered by, the University, or (2) which is made by an employee of the University and which relates to the inventor’s field of work at the University, or (3) which has been developed in whole or in part by the utilization of resources or facilities belonging to the University shall be assigned to the University. Therefore, employees or students may not themselves assign or grant any option to any such intellectual property developed during the course of their employment without a release from UAB.

Questions concerning intellectual property rights should be directed to The UAB Research Foundation.

UAB’s Patent Agreement form can be found on the following page www.uab.edu/patent.

Source: Policy 7.13, You & UAB Handbook for Administrative, Professional and Support Personnel, Office of Human Resource Management, UAB website.

Approved by: Richard B. Marchase, PhD, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the UAB Research Foundation

Date: September 28, 2007

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