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Core Requirement - 3.2.14

The institution's policies are clear concerning ownership of materials, compensation, copyright issues, and the use of revenue derived from the creation and production of all intellectual property. This applies to students, faculty and staff.

Southwest Tennessee Community College abides by Tennessee Board of Regents Policy [1], which is very specific concerning intellectual property. The policy states the Board's intentions to "encourage invention and the production of copyrightable works" by institution members, "facilitate the utilization of such inventions and works," "provide for the equitable sharing of any proceeds," and "protect the interests of all concerned parties". It contains guidelines regarding ownership of intellectual property, copyright issues, and income from intellectual property. This policy applies to “members of the Institutional community”, which includes all persons employed (either full-time, part-time, or temporary employees), enrolled students, and other persons using Institutional facilities and resources. The policy emphasizes the role of contracts between the Institution and members of the Institutional community regarding rights and responsibilities of the parties with respect to ownership of any intellectual property developed as a result of the contract. The policy also articulates distinctions between scholarly works and other intellectual property. TBR Guideline A-075 [2] defines intellectual property in the context of distance education materials and creations. It further details intellectual property under the heading of scholarly works, student work, works for hire, joint ownership, revision rights, and royalties. When the college purchases ownership of distance education courses, it utilizes the standard TBR contract [3].