Policies and Guidelines - University of Houston
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Policies and Guidelines

Board of Regents Policy 11.08.04


  1. Ownership of Copyrights. Consistent with tradition and practice at this and other academic institutions, the board does not claim copyright, as the work-for-hire author or otherwise, in works created by persons (defined in 11.08.11), with the following exceptions:
    1. The terms of a sponsored research or other agreement may determine the ownership of a copyright in material that a person creates in the course of or pursuant to such agreement. If the agreement does not contain terms relating to the ownership of the copyright, whether by the author, the component university, a third party, or a combination thereof, the other provisions of this section govern ownership of the copyright.
    2. The board owns the copyright in any work resulting from a project for which the component university provides time, funding, facilities, or other resources beyond normal support. "Normal support" includes, but is not limited to: salary; secretarial and research assistance; office space; supplies and equipment; and access to libraries, laboratories and studios. A faculty development leave may subject a work to board copyright ownership under this subsection, the Standing Committee on Intellectual Property, after investigation into the facts, shall formulate a recommendation for consideration by the president. If the president determines that the work in question is subject to board ownership, the person who created the work shall cooperate fully with the component university to establish the board's ownership of and rights in the work.
    3. The board owns the copyright in computer software and firmware in the circumstances described in section 11.08.5 of this policy relating specifically to such works.
  2. Ownership by Author. The copyright in any work of authorship, to the extent that it is not subject to the board or third-party ownership under the foregoing provisions of this section, is owned by the author thereof and may be registered by him or her with the United States Copyright Office.