Intellectual Property Disclosure Information
Click to go directly to the Intellectual Property Disclosure Form.
Innovation is all about finding new and better ways of doing things, whether it’s an incremental improvement or a game-changing breakthrough. Innovation takes on various forms – large machinery; small components; software models; new material compositions; methods of manufacture – and everything in between. At the Office of Tech Transfer and Commercialization (TTC), our goal is to help you bring your ideas to life, turn them into valuable intellectual property, and help navigate the process of commercialization.
Intellectual Property (IP) is a term used to describe the legal rights that protect innovative ideas and other “creations of the mind.” Protecting IP is a complex legal concept, but you don’t need to worry about the details so long as you understand the basic framework and overall goals we’re trying to achieve. The main goal of IP is to protect innovative ideas and ensure that those who invest time and resources into developing them can reap the benefits.
There are four main types of IP: (1) patents; (2) trademarks; (3) copyrights; and (4) trade secrets or proprietary information. These categories provide different types of legal protection for different kinds of IP.
IP is often an organization’s most valuable asset, especially in the technology sector. IP is also a critical factor in attracting investors because it can be used to generate revenue and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. That's why it's important for engineers, researchers, faculty members, and staff at WSU to have a basic understanding of IP and its role in industry.
Disclosing an innovation to TTC is important for several reasons:
- It initiates the process of protecting the IP and is an important step on the path to commercialization. By disclosing an innovation, we can begin to develop a strategy on the best way to handle the IP. The strategy is established by the TTC in conjunction with the contributors after considering many factors, including technology differentiation, field of use, marketability, and detectability.
- It allows TTC to assess the potential for licensing the innovation to companies and organizations that can benefit from its use. This generates licensing revenue, which is then distributed back to the contributors and their departments per University policy, promoting investment in continued research activities.
- Many funding agencies require disclosure of innovations developed with those funds. Prompt disclosure is necessary to enable WSU to comply with those requirements.
- As an employee of WSU, you are obligated to disclose IP that you have created in the course of your work. This ensures that you get proper recognition for your work and that your innovation does not stay “locked-up” inside of the University.
If you’d like to discuss your innovation with a the TTC team before submitting the IP disclosure Form, please contact our office.
An Intellectual Property (IP) disclosure is a written notice used to document any innovations that may be eligible for IP protection. It allows TTC to evaluate the innovation and is the first step in creating an IP strategy.
An IP disclosure for an innovation should be submitted through our Intellectual Property Disclosure Form. The Office of Tech Transfer and Commercialization (TTC) will guide you through the process and answer your questions every step of the way. If you would like to discuss your innovation before submitting the form, please feel free to contact our office.
When filling out the IP Disclosure Form, it's important to provide as much detail as possible about your innovation. This form is an internal document that is not shared publicly – so you don’t have to worry about your innovation being “leaked” to a third party. The information in the IP Disclosure Form helps us to determine the best approach for protecting and potentially commercializing your work.
The IP Disclosure Form serves as the foundation for the information that we will use in the protection process, but additional information may be required as the review process proceeds. We want to make the process as easy as possible for you, while also ensuring that we're taking the necessary steps to protect your hard work.
We value your input and welcome your feedback on our form and procedures.
The earlier, the better. Ideally, an innovation should be disclosed at least eight weeks prior to any public disclosure. However, we understand that this is not always possible.
An early disclosure to TTC allows us enough time to evaluate the innovation and take necessary steps to protect the IP before any public disclosure. A public disclosure is any non-confidential oral or written communication to people (other than WSU employees) that reveals enough information to enable a person with the appropriate technical skills to reproduce the innovation. Examples of public disclosures include journal articles, conference proceedings or abstracts, thesis publication or defense, grant applications, publicly distributed meeting notes, and technical discussions with third parties.
A public disclosure may harm the IP rights that can be acquired for an innovation. So, if you’re unsure whether a disclosure is considered public, it is best to contact us for guidance before sharing anything about the innovation.
In the event you cannot submit an innovation disclosure before a public disclosure, please contact us as soon as possible. We’ll work with you to determine the best course of action to protect the technology.
When filling out the IP Disclosure Form, it's important to provide as much detail as possible about your innovation. This form is an internal document that is not shared publicly – so you don’t have to worry about your innovation being “leaked” to a third party. The information in the IP Disclosure Form helps us to determine the best approach for protecting and potentially commercializing your work.
The IP Disclosure Form serves as the foundation for the information that we will use in the protection process, but additional information may be required as the review process proceeds. We want to make the process as easy as possible for you, while also ensuring that we're taking the necessary steps to protect your hard work.
We value your input and welcome your feedback on our form and procedures.
After you submit a disclosure, our team will review the form and evaluate the innovation for potential protection and commercialization. We want and need your involvement in this step to ensure we develop the best IP strategy to successfully commercialize the innovation. Depending on the innovation and the protection strategy that we recommend, the process may involve filing a patent application, copyright protection, defensive publication, maintaining confidentiality status, or exploring other potential avenues for protection.
For more information on Intellectual Property Policy and Institutional Procedures, please see WSU Policy 9.10 or contact the TTC.
If you’d like to discuss your innovation with a the TTC team before submitting the IP disclosure Form, have issues with submitting the form or have feedback on our form and procedures , please contact us at the following.
316-978-6950