Intellectual Assets

Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property (IP) in the University context includes patents, trade marks, copyright, design rights, registered designs as well as confidential information (technical and commercial know-how), ideas and innovations created or derived from work undertaken by University employees.

UWE's IP Policy

Innovations developed at UWE can be licensed to external businesses, companies or organisations. In consideration of this UWE would expect a share of the economic benefit provided by the innovation and its associated Intellectual Property Rights. Income from exploitation will be distributed in accordance with the University’s Intellectual Property Policy:

• Intellectual Property Policy (PDF*) - Applies to all persons, except for students in relation to courses for which they have registered before 11th June 2007. (Documents referred to in the IP Policy are available from RBI Technology Transfer Office on request)
• Previous Intellectual Property Policy (PDF*) - Applies solely to students in relation to courses for which they have registered before 11th June 2007.

Further information relating to copyright (including copyright considerations and licence information applicable when using UWE resources).

• Library guidelines

* You may need to download the latest version of Adobe Reader from here in order to open and read PDF documents.

Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) are legal rights which provide protection to the owner and/or creators of IP in the form of rights to prohibit or restrict their use by other parties. IPRs enable their holders to sue other parties if they infringe those rights. IPRs are properties that, like any other business commodity, may be bought, sold or licensed. An innovation may be protected by one or more IPR.

The major types of intellectual property right and what they can protect are outlined below.