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Types of Intellectual Property

Intellectual property can take many forms, and the appropriate way to protect your work depends on what you have created. The Office of Research and Innovation can help you understand the available options and determine what steps may be appropriate.

Patents

Patents can protect new and useful inventions, including processes, machines, devices, compositions of matter, and certain improvements to existing technologies.

To qualify for patent protection, an invention generally must be useful, novel, and non-obvious. Patentability is a legal determination, so you do not need to decide for yourself whether your work meets these requirements before contacting us. CPP evaluates disclosed inventions and, when appropriate, works with patent professionals to assess and pursue protection.

If your work may be patentable, contact us before publicly disclosing it. Publications, presentations, posters, websites, and other public disclosures can affect patent rights.

Copyright

Copyright protects original works of authorship, including written materials, software, photographs, artwork, videos, and other creative works. Copyright generally arises automatically when an original work is created and fixed in a tangible form.

Ownership and management of copyright in work created at the University can depend on the nature of the work, how it was created, and the resources or sponsored funding involved. Contact us if you have questions about copyright ownership or the potential licensing or commercialization of a copyrighted work.

Other Forms of Intellectual Property

Not every innovation is best protected by a patent or copyright. Depending on the work, other forms of protection may include trademarks, trade secrets, or contractual protections, such as confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements.

ORI can help determine which forms of protection may be relevant and whether other University offices should be involved.

Protect Your Work Before Sharing It

If you believe your work may have commercial potential, talk with us before sharing confidential details with a company or other outside party. ORI can help determine whether a confidentiality or nondisclosure agreement is needed before information is exchanged.

If your work resulted from sponsored research or involved collaborators, outside organizations, or materials received from another institution, please let us know. Those agreements may affect intellectual property rights and obligations. CPP’s existing technology-transfer guidance specifically identifies funding agreements, sponsored research agreements, and material transfer agreements as factors in determining the University’s rights in an invention.

Ready to disclose your invention?

Complete the Invention Disclosure Form (DOC) to begin.