Guidelines, policies, forms and agreements relevant to Harvard faculty inventors and external entrepreneurs, investors, and industry professionals.

Policies and Forms

Student Inventions

The policy statement displayed below is also available for viewing/download as a PDF file.

Harvard University
Policy Clarification Regarding Inventions and Software Created by Students

Approved by the Committee on Patents and Copyrights, 2/18/94

The University's Statement of Policy in Regard to Inventions, Patents and Copyrights specifies that it applies to "all members of the University including students in connection with their University work." This will be interpreted to mean the following:

  1. In regard to inventions: Ownership of inventions made by a student shall remain with the student unless:

    1. the invention results from the student's employment by Harvard (whether paid by stipend or salary);

    2. the invention is made in work which is subject to a sponsored research agreement; or

    3. the invention is made with the use of significant University resources or facilities (the use of resources or facilities generally available to students as part of their educational activities would not be considered "significant" in this context).

  2. In regard to software: Ownership of software created by a student as part of his/her Harvard activity shall remain with the student unless:

    1. the software is created as part of the student's employment by Harvard (whether paid by stipend or by salary);

    2. the software is created in work which is subject to a sponsored research agreement;

    3. the software is created as part of work within a program, laboratory or department which has a specific policy (which has been communicated to the student) that software will be owned by the University; or

    4. the software is created with the use of significant University resources or facilities (the use of resources or facilities generally available to students as part of their educational activities would not be considered "significant" in this context).

The intent is to leave ownership of inventions made or software created as part of classwork or as part of the normal extra-curricular activities of students with the student inventor/creator, unless the University has some obligation or special investment in regard to the work leading to the invention that would make University ownership appropriate.

The policy statement displayed above is also available for viewing/download as a PDF file.