Re: Dissertations & Theses

From: Charles E. Keller <keller[_at_]Ra.MsState.Edu>
Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 08:14:13 -0500 (CDT)

I wrote (in part) in regard to the Petr Taborksy (chain gang IP) case:
> >
> > .... All this comes about (i think) because of a lack of
> > understanding by students that ALL IP generated on a college campus
> > no matter how much personal TIME and personal EQUIPMENT you use,
> > universities OWN the IP rights!

On Wed, 19 Feb 1997, Jessica Litman <litman[_at_]mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> At least in the United States, this is not the law. IP assignments
> will be enforced, and the copyright (if not the patent) of works created
> within the scope of employment (by professors, for example) will belong
> to the University, but without a written assignment or an employment
> relationship, the University owns no IP rights in the writings and
> inventions generated on a college campus. Of course, a graduate
> student depending upon her department for the recommendations that will
> enable her to find employment may not feel it is worth the cost to
> assert her IP rights against the University, but that's another
> question entirely.

At the time of my posting I had been referring to typical?? university policy, not the law. However, it has just come to my attention that yet another graduate student is in jail in Florida. I don't know his name or many details. Apparently he carefully documented all of the work he did in writing a computer program on his own time and his own equipment. Yet he is in jail. I don't know if the issue is copyright or patent.

Does Florida have some special IP laws that override U.S. federal laws?

Charles Keller (non-lawyer)

<keller[_at_]ra.msstate.edu>                               Quote for the Day:

.... ``Any one with brains can get rich in this country if he will engage the right lawyer. Well, I have the brains-- and Harris is showing me the law--the wonderful twisted law that was made for the rich! Since we keep inside the law, we are safe.'' --_Within the Law_ by Marvin Dana, 1913!! Received on Thu May 15 1997 - 13:17:20 GMT