Intellectual Property | OSSP

For information on and questions regarding Intellectual Property, please refer to Pacific University's Intellectual Property Policy.

Intellectual property is defined as products of creative effort (technical information, assessment tests, inventions, software, data, designs, models, methods, literary and artistic works, formularies, etc.).

Protect Intellectual Property

OSSP works with Legal Affairs and the Berglund Center to assist you in understanding your role in maintaining the rights to your work and preventing the misuse of others' work. Contact OSSP regarding these topic areas:

Material Transfer Agreements and Data Use and Transfer Agreements 

Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) and Data Use and Transfer Agreements (DUTAs) address the exchange of research materials and data between individuals at separate organizations. Case-by-case negotiation of MTAs and DUTAs is often necessary, particularly when intellectual property,  ownership issues, and confidential data are involved. 

Copyright Protection

Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, computer software, and architecture.

Patent Protection

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted for a limited period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an invention. A patent is a right to exclude others from making, selling, or using the patented invention for a limited term and is essentially a legally recognized monopoly that the government grants in exchange for a disclosure of how to make and use an invention. Patentable inventions must be new, useful, and non-obvious. 

Trademark Protection

Trademarks are a form of intellectual property. A trademark or service mark includes any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used or intended to be used to identify and distinguish the goods/services of one seller or provider from those of others. 

If you are interesting in pursuing any of these topics, please reach out to OSSP for guidelines, forms, and instructions.

Disclose an Invention

The first formal step in obtaining proper intellectual property protection is submitting a disclosure of your invention to Pacific University. Contact OSSP for forms, instructions, and assistance.