The current policy on Copyright Ownership and a Policy Framework for Licensing Instructional Material governs issues such as authorship of the materials, ownership of intellectual property and the potential future use of the materials and revenue sharing.  The Policy further “affirms the principle that Instructors are normally the first owners of copyright in the Instructional Materials that they produce, whether analog or digital, and whether offline or online”. The policy is meant to apply in “the normal conditions of employment” where an instructor may also access expertise and assistance from the University’s Non-Teaching Staff. In some rare situations the Instructional Materials may be created outside of the normal conditions of employment where the faculty member would be acting as an Independent Contractor.

If you are approached by the Administration to sign a licensing agreement for instructional materials make sure that it is compliant with our policy. If in doubt or you find that the agreement is not in compliance with our policy, please contact MUFA. Here you can access an IP template agreement that was adapted from one used by the Faculty of Humanities. Faculty members with specific questions or concerns, may want to consult an IP lawyer. MUFA is working on a framework for providing legal support to faculty members in the future that will cover IP and copyright.