G-31-4 College Interest in Marketable Materials, Products, and Processes

The College attempts to foster employee initiative by establishing a climate in which creativity can occur and by providing the means to bring such efforts into tangible form. Often, this creativity results in improved instructional products and processes for students, increased visibility for the College, and, occasionally, financial gain.

When the employee uses his/her own time, materials, and equipment to produce new materials, or to discover new products or processes which are marketed for financial gain, the creative results are solely the possession of the employee.

When materials, products, or processes have been produced using College personnel, equipment, and/or facilities, and are proposed to be marketed for financial gain, then the College must become involved in ways having binding and legal implications. As an institution supported almost entirely by public and tuition monies, it cannot escape this responsibility.

Accordingly, the policy of COCC is that whenever College administrators' time, support staff time, faculty time, supplies, equipment, and/or facilities are used to produce new materials, products or processes, the College automatically has an interest in the materials, products and processes, and the materials, products and processes may be marketed for financial gain only after a contract delineating the nature of the individual and College interest is agreed to. It is the employee's responsibility to see that such a contract is written before a for-profit endeavor is undertaken.