Intellectual property (IP) broadly refers to ideas and creations of the mind. Your research will often lead to the creation of valuable IP. As a member of staff, the IP from any research undertaken during your employment is owned by the University. However, as the originator, you can benefit from the commercialisation of your research. This may be in terms of impact, exploring real-world applications of work, developing impact case studies, and opening up new areas of enquiry. It can also be financial, as you may receive equity stakes or royalties from your commercial endeavour.
IP generated from your research outputs can look like:
Why do I need to protect my IP? IP laws and rights exits to safeguard your work, ensuring you are credited as the creator. They are essential if you wish to exploit the commercial potential of your work, via licensing or the creation of a spin-out company, for example, to achieve maximum impact.
Types of IP protection and rights:
IP also covers know-how (trade secrets), plant varieties, geographical indications, and performers' rights. IP rights are divided into registrable rights and unregistered rights, depending on whether they require formal registration to be legally recognised and protected.
Patents, trademarks and registered design rights must be applied for to obtain official recognition and legal protection. They protect rights to your creation for a specific period.
It is important you do not share any details of your invention publicly until protection has been applied for. Registered rights are only granted for inventions that are novel, meaning they must be new and not known to the public. If you publicly disclose your invention, such as through a publication, presentation or discussion, it becomes part of the public domain. This means the invention is no longer considered novel and so it cannot be protected. Once protection has been filed for, you are free to disclose your invention. Contact your Knowledge Exchange Manager or Technology Transfer Officer for support with identifying and protecting your IP.
Unregistered rights include copyright and unregistered design rights. These are automatically granted when your work is created or used, and do not require formal registration.
The Knowledge Exchange team can help you to identify and protect intellectual property arising from your research, explore routes to commercialisation and help find commercial partners interested in licensing your IP.