Intellectual Property (IP) Management is one of the most serious concerns faced by those seeking to start an OpenCourseWare project. Concern with IP issues can be at once a great motivator and a great obstacle to the advancement of your project. We provide here a variety of materials related to IP management:
- Presentation (1.65 MB) on IP Management for OCW
- A Sample Copyright and IP Summary for your Faculty
- A Sample License and Release Form
- A Sample License Request Letter
- Tools for tracking IP Management Data for OCW Projects (coming soon)
In addition, there are a number of questions you should ask your institution’s legal team in order to acquaint yourself with your institution’s approach to IP and related issues:
- Does your institution consider faculty teaching materials to be the property of the faculty member or of the institution?
- What process does your institution want you to follow in your use of institution-owned content?
- How concerned is your institution with its own branding and/or the appearance of endorsement?
- What is your institution’s stance on fair use in the classroom? Outside the classroom?
- What types of legal language does your institution want you to use in license requests?
- To what types of privacy laws is your institution subject?
The answers to these questions will inform your use of the materials we have provided you. Getting those answers from the beginning may save you a considerable amount of time and frustration, and you may just find yourself a useful set of allies.