Fact Sheets About Intellectual Property

We provide a series of concise informational fact sheets dealing with intellectual property issues. They are intended for several purposes: to help organize faculty activism around IP issues, to educate those involved in faculty senate or contract negotiations about IP, and to hand out during IP seminars or public lectures. They can help focus discussion, organize note taking, and assist in recall of these complex issues in the aftermath of campus events.

They range broadly over relevant IP issues—from a brief history of US university IP policies to an explanation of intangible assets, to issues to keep in mind during efforts to improve campus policies. We will add additional fliers as appropriate. Since these are designed to be brief handouts, we do not intend them to replace full discussion of the applicable terms and issues. They thus cannot be fully self-explanatory, but they should assist with organizing the issues conceptually.

A note about the Intangible Assets fact sheet: Intellectual property is one class of intangible assets. This helps people see at a glance how IP fits into a broader scheme of asset development. Most intangible assets are under faculty control—until patent and copyright are ceded to administration control.

A Short History of American University Patent Policies (.pdf)
Changing University IP Policy to Support Academic Freedom and Innovation (.pdf)
Intangible Assets and Intellectual Property (.pdf)
Ten Reasons Why You Should Care Whether You Own Your Online Course (.pdf)