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Intellectual Property

Inventions and marketable discoveries are governed by Connecticut General Statute §10a-97 through §10a-99, except as provided by BOT/CSU/AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement, Appendix E, which concerns the intellectual property of computer software products created by a faculty member. The policy of that agreement is as follows: All professional staff, management, unclassified confidentials, instructional faculty, administrative faculty, and all other employees are deemed to have authorization to use Connecticut State University computer equipment for private academic research and writing on their own time when such use does not interfere with the needs of the University and subject to all other conditions of access to University computer facilities as may be established from time to time, on the following basis:

  1. University computers may not be used at any time for the conduct of a private business enterprise.
  2. The University shall make no claim for recompense for use of University computer equipment for word processing and preparation of manuscripts.
  3. Computer software products created by an employee specifically assigned to that task shall be the property of the University and the State of Connecticut. Said assignments may be the regular duty of the employee, or in lieu of such regularly assigned duties, or by special compensation under applicable collective bargaining agreement. The employee who created the computer software product shall assign all copyright and/or patent rights to the University.
  4. Computer software products created for research in a discipline and/or instructional use, not covered by 3 above, shall belong to the creator subject to the following restrictions:
    1. Such software products and all documentation shall be available at no cost to the University for instructional and administrative use.
    2. Sale of computer software products to the author's students shall not result in profit, royalty or like payment to the author.
  5. Other computer software products created using University computer equipment, not covered by 3 and 4 above, shall be provided to the University for its perpetual use at no cost. The creator of such computer software products shall provide the University one copy, complete with documentation, of the creation.
  6. Disputes concerning the meaning or application of this agreement shall be referred to Step 3 of the applicable collective bargaining grievance procedure. Step 4 shall be the final step in resolving said disputes.

The parties to this agreement encourage all employees to aid and participate in the development and effective use of the University's computer system.