By Kathryn Jezer-Morton
McGill’s Policy on Intellectual Property has been revised and updated for the first time since 2001. Over the past fifteen years, the landscape of intellectual property protection, commercialization and open science has seen dramatic transformations. The rise of social entrepreneurship and startup culture has brought about opportunities for inventors that scarcely existed in 2001.
For these reasons, McGill’s IP Policy Revisions Working Group, at the behest of the Innovation Steering Committee has overhauled the IP Policy to reflect the current conditions across a range of domains, from tech transfer to open science to copyright. The new IP policy is more clearly articulated and nimbler than the previous iteration, and it is designed to be useful and accessible to inventors across disciplines.
The proposed revisions to McGill’s IP policy documents were developed from multiple angles. For improved clarity, policies and the guidelines for implementing them have been separated. More equitable and straightforward mechanisms have been developed to handle dispute resolution, and revenue and expense sharing has been simplified.
The proposed revisions emphasize McGill’s recognition of the importance that intellectual property protection and commercialization opportunities have for many inventors, and that these endeavours can serve as valuable contributions to the University’s academic and social missions.
The proposed revisions were based on consultations held with numerous groups both inside and outside of McGill, which led to the use of more inclusive language and improved consistency with the policies in force at McGill’s peer institutions. Among those consulted include (but are not limited to) Faculty Deans, MAUT (McGill Association of University Teachers), AMURE (Association of McGill University Research Employees), PGSS (Post-Graduate Students’ Society), the Faculty of Music’s Digital Rights Group, McGill Centre for Intellectual Property Policy, and the University’s Affiliated Hospitals and Institutes.
Anyone interested in reviewing the proposed revisions to McGill’s Intellectual Property policy can read them in full and provide feedback online. We would like your feedback on these proposed revisions to McGill’s IP policy documents in advance of a hearing for approval at Senate in the spring of 2017.