IP Ownership

Pursuant to Section 3345.14 of the Ohio Revised Code, and as a condition of university employment, all right, title and interest in discoveries or inventions, including patents thereon resulting from any research or investigation conducted in whole or in part in any laboratory or facility of BGSU, or by University employee in scope of employment, shall be the sole and exclusive property of BGSU.

Researchers who are working in areas that could develop intellectual property are advised that ownership and commercialization of faculty owned intellectual property may result in the need to disclose such ownership or relationship to an outside company/entity under O.R.C. Section 3345.14(D).  In addition, ownership/interests of/in intellectual property may also result in conflicts of interest under the BGSU policy for Conflict of Interest in Research & Sponsored Programs.

Inventors may contact RTT to seek a formal statement from the Patent Advisory and Technology Development Oversight Committee (PAC) that BGSU does not assert ownership over a given invention. Please use the Invention Disclosure Form to submit invention disclosures. Federal funding contracts specifically require BGSU to promptly report any inventions developed during a federal research project; many of our industrial and foundation sponsors expect similar regular reporting. This makes the obligation to disclose inventions particularly important.

For further queries on ownership of invention, please reach out to Research Technology Transfer (RTT)

Literary works, musical works, including any accompanying words, dramatic works, including any accompanying music, pantomimes and choreographic works, pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works, motion pictures and other audiovisual works, sound recordings, which are works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds, and architectural works are potentially protective copyrights. Works created in whole or in part by members of the faculty or staff (including student employees) of the University in the course of their University responsibilities or with more than incidental use of University resources, belongs to the University.  BGSU does not otherwise claim ownership of copyrights in scholarly books or textbooks, articles or other scholarly publications, popular novels, poems, musical compositions, or other works of artistic imagination as explained in the BGSU Copyright policy. Assignments or waivers of such rights, titles and interests may be made by BGSU to external sponsoring agencies or others, as provided in BGSU Patent Policy.

Researchers who are working in areas that could develop intellectual property are advised that ownership and commercialization of faculty owned intellectual property may result in the need to disclose such ownership or relationship to an outside company/entity under O.R.C. Section 3345.14(D).  In addition, ownership/interests of/in intellectual property may also result in conflicts of interest under the BGSU policy for Conflict of Interest in Research & Sponsored Programs.

Creators may contact RTT to seek a formal statement from the Patent Advisory and Technology Development Oversight Committee (PAC) that BGSU does not assert ownership over a given creative work. 

For further queries on ownership of creative works, please reach out to  Research Technology Transfer (RTT)