Northeastern University’s Policy on Copyright sets forth the respective rights and obligations of the university, its faculty, staff, and students with respect to original works of authorship. It is the general policy of the university that student papers or projects submitted in partial fulfillment of course requirements remain the property of the student authors, with certain exceptions outlined below and detailed in the Policy on Copyright. Such exceptions include:
- “Work for hire” as defined by intellectual property laws
- Work done as part of external grants or contracts in which the contracting documents or regulations define ownership
- Work in which the university or its agents or employees contribute substantial time or resources
With respect to such work owned by student authors, the student authors grant to the university a nonexclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, fully paid up, royalty-free license to make all traditional, customary, or reasonable administrative or academic use of the work. The university may own the copyright to any work created or developed by one or more students with the significant use of funds, space, facilities, equipment, materials, or other university resources, as detailed in the Policy on Copyright.
With respect to covered inventions, the respective rights and obligations of the university, its faculty, staff, and students are set forth in the university’s Policy on Patents. In general, any student who makes, as sole or joint inventor, an invention that involved significant use of university resources, including funds, space, facilities, equipment, or materials, or that is subject to terms of a sponsored research or other agreement between the university and another party, shall assign this invention and all associated applications and patents to the university or its designee unless the invention has been released to the inventor in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Policy on Patents. When an invention is made by a student not involving significant use of funds, space, facilities, equipment, materials, or other resources of or administered by the university, the university will waive its rights, and the invention will be the exclusive property of the student under the conditions set forth in the Policy on Patents.
Students may contact the Center for Research Innovation or the Office of the General Counsel with questions about the university’s policies on copyrights and patents.