Ryerson ITSDC: Intellectual Property

This is not policy. It is a target to focus discussion on the issue.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY - Without clear policy on ownership of courseware and media, most faculty will not be willing to make the necessary investment. There have to be benefits to faculty, as well as the students and the university, to make change happen.

There are many views about the ownership of courseware and media. At one extreme is the idea that all courseware and media developed for a Ryerson course belongs to the university. The university has the right to take the material and give it to other faculty for their use in continuing to deliver the course. The faculty because of their contract can not use it outside the university without permission. At the other extreme is the idea that the faculty as author hold copyright and so can do with courseware as he or she deems fit. The university does not have access to the courseware without permission.

Somewhere in between the extremes is the idea that there needs to be a sharing of use. This is a necessary pragmatic and partnering point of view. The university provides development time and some resources while the facult provides the creativity. The faculty, once the course is developed may us the material for other purposes as long as it is either credited or revise to make it different from the original course. The university may also us it in aiding other faculty in continuing to deliver the course when th originating faculty member moves onto other courses or another university.

There are several reports and web sites that can provide more information an insights into this one aspect of intellectual property. Examples are:

Intellectual Property - Administrative Perspectives. Association of America Universities. (1994). Reports of the AAU Task Forces on Acquisition and.. http://www.outreach.umich.edu/bibs/ip_adminpers.html

The Electronic Paradigm for Scholarly Information. By Robert C. Heterick, Jr. Educom Review. Volume 29, Number 4. July/August, 1994 http://educom.edu/web/pubs/review/reviewArticles/29468.html

Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee. Ownership of Intellectual Property i Universities 1995 This document is currently made available online as a series of Word 2 documents. Download each document and print for a complete copy of the publication http://www.avcc.edu.au/avcc/pubs/ooipiu.htm

Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee. Media Release 3/9 Media Release. 3/96 9 February 1996. Intellectual Property: Whose is it? A discussio paper aimed at helping universities to develop policies to ensure.. http://www.avcc.edu.au/avcc/mediarel/1996/96mr3.htm

University of Western Sydney Policy Statements. Intellectual Property. Internationa Education. Last updated December 01, 1995, UWS Hawkesbury http://hotel.uws.edu.au/about/academic_info/uwsplpg.htm http://hotel.uws.edu.au/about/academic_info/polsintp.htm

Knowledge Management - A course to introduce managers to the concepts of th management of knowledge and intellectual capital in organizations. http://www.dalby.edu/html/knowledge_management.htm


Maintained by Dave Mason as part of the ITSDC pages
Last modified: Thu Oct 9 17:52:14 EDT 1997