The College acknowledges the ownership rights associated with intellectual property and requires students and employees to adhere to all applicable state and federal laws. Intellectual property may be defined as any intellectual or creative works that can be copyrighted, trademarked or patented. Such works may include but are not limited to literary, musical, dramatic or artistic works, computer software, multimedia presentations, brand marks, or inventions. (Policy 4.2.1)
The College recognizes that students retain ownership of intellectual property submitted in fulfillment of academic requirements. By enrolling in the college, the student gives the College a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to mark, modify, and use any work as may be required by the process of instruction, or for other educational, research, or marketing purposes. This section does not apply to class or lab notes created by a student.
The College shall retain the ownership of all patentable inventions created by a student in fulfillment of academic requirements under the following conditions: the development of the invention involved substantial use of college resources, including use of facilities, time, and/or other resources.
Dispute Resolution
Prior to creating works using College resources, employees and students should direct intellectual property ownership questions to the appropriate dean. If issues related to ownership of intellectual property arise and cannot be resolved informally, college students may seek resolution through Policy 5.3.6 – Student Grievance Policy. Prior to initiating litigation, both parties will participate in voluntary mediation before a neutral third-party mediator and will equally share the cost of such mediation.
Use of Student Work
As a condition of enrollment at the College, the student grants the College a non-exclusive, perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free right and license to reproduce and publicly or privately display, distribute, or perform the student’s work, in whole or in part, for the college's own educational purposes. This includes:
- The use of student work in order to demonstrate compliance with accrediting bodies.
- Research conducted by college personnel and presentation or publication resulting from such research.
- The use of student work in order to demonstrate student and instructor activities for the purposes of promoting the college and its endeavors.
Nothing herein permits the disclosure of a student's educational record, including student grades, nor can student work be presented in a personally identifiable manner without the student’s exclusive permission. This license does not extend to commercialization of the work. Intellectual property created by the student for commercial purposes singularly or in cooperation with the College shall be governed by Policy 4.2.1 – Intellectual Property. (Procedure 5.4.4)