At a research institution like the University, the decision to patent and market products invented by professors and graduate students can be a complicated one.
Professors, graduate students, visiting lecturers, and other faculty can choose to commercialize the products of research they conduct using University resources. If they do so, they can access University resources like the Keller Center and the Office of Technology Licensing. The University also has a right to any licenses, patents, and other intellectual property (IP) rights arising from these commercial efforts. Any resulting revenues are split according to a prescribed formula between the researchers and the University. Often, a company or other commercial entity is used to market the IP, in which case it holds some of the rights and receives some of the revenues of the IP, as well.
