Re: Student Patent Policy at Caltech and UC

Joachim Feise (jfeise@ICS.uci.edu)
Tue, 12 Jan 1999 14:15:19 -0800


The copyright policy of UC says different:
http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/uwnews/copyr.html

C. Student Work

A student work is a work produced by a registered student without the use of
University funds (other than Student Financial Aid), that is produced outside
any University employment, and is not a sponsored, contracted facilities, or
commissioned work.

Ownership of copyrights to student works shall reside with the originator.

-JoeF

Joe Touch wrote:
>
> Hmmm -
>
> As matriculees of a degree program
> (or even just as enrollers of a class)
> students enter into a contract with the school.
>
> As GRA employees, another level is added to that.
>
> I would be surprised if an employee, as a function
> of their job, developed code on an employer's equipment,
> and it were NOT considered "property of the employer."
>
> That employer-employee relationship is clearly transitive,
> and has been in the past. So, if you're entering into
> a contract with a Univ, and they entered into a contract
> with the US Govt, then they have reasonably transferred their
> rights of ownership to the US Govt.
>
> Signing a patent agreement isn't necessarily required
> for any of this to take effect. Cashing a check is sufficient.
>
> Why is this surprising?
>
> Joe