Ownership

PSU requires that all employee work related inventions be assigned to PSU.

The IMD states that the State Board of Higher Education reserves ownership rights to all work related inventions and inventions made with institutional resources (IMD 6.215). Inventions made with the use of grant, gift, or sponsored research funds count as having been made with institutional resources (IMD 6.215). The IMD goes on to say that as part of accepting a Notice of Appointment each employee is obligated to agree to assign rights to inventions conceived while employed by the institution (IMD 6.230).

PSU complies with the above by requiring all employees to assign their rights to all work related inventions to PSU. PSU can waive this ownership back to the inventors or funding agencies in certain circumstances as outlined below.

The following is a simplification of PSU's patent ownership and disclosure guidelines.

At PSU, employees are required to disclose any inventions they may make. For all inventions made with sponsor awarded funds or funds administered through PSU, and for all inventions that are work related, inventors are required to assign (and in some cases already have assigned ) their ownership of the invention to PSU. PSU may sometimes waive ownership of these inventions back to the funding agency or the inventor. For inventions where no funds were used, and which are not work related, PSU can affirm that it will not assert ownership.

The following flowchart summarizes the guidelines.