Intellectual Property Rights

Confirmation that your organization owns all intellectual property rights of its staff and employees

Status of the Policy

This Policy is specifically incorporated into all employees' contracts of employment and any legal relationship between Cromwell UK its staff and employees.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

There are numerous definitions of intellectual property (IP). In essence, IP may be regarded as 'knowledge and its creative application'. In practical terms all material generated by staff should be regarded as potentially being IP and generating intellectual property rights (IPR). Examples of IPR include patents, copyright, performance rights, design rights and trademarks.

General Approach

The college treats students and staff equally in relation to IPR. Where reference is made to members of staff under this policy, students are to be granted and subject to the same rights and responsibilities.

The wide dissemination of IP is obviously fundamental to the work - and indeed the idea of - a college; and (subject to only limited exceptions) the Cromwell UK has in this context granted members of staff freedom to publish academic publications and take the income derived from these publications.

In the context of furthering its objectives as an academic and charitable institution, the College is committed, both for its own sake and in the interests of its staff, to maximising the benefits that can be derived from the exploitation of IP. Thus, when IP is exploited commercially, the College is committed to sharing the benefits of that exploitation with the staff concerned. The Cromwell UK policy on IPR is based on those commitments - and they mean for example that the College and its staff must take all reasonable measures to protect the College's IP. The policy is shaped also by the consideration that the University and its staff must in any event respect IPR belonging to others.

In short, the College encourages active identification of commercially-valuable IP, suitable protection and robust exploitation to the mutual benefit of the college and staff. It should be noted in this context that commercial exploitation (for example, on the basis of patents) need not be incompatible with academic activities such as the publication of academic papers.

Condition of ownership, use and ownership of IP

The College's conditions on the ownership, use and exploitation of IP are designed to reflect the general position under the law: The College asserts its right to ownership and use of all IP generated by staff during the course of their employment, and it likewise asserts its right to ownership and use of all IP generated by staff outside the course of their employment where substantial College resources have been used. The Cromwell UK is however committed to sharing with the staff concerned the rewards derived from successful commercial exploitation of IP, which they have generated.