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NC State is dedicated not only to teaching and research but to extending
the knowledge its students, faculty and staff create to the public.
It is the policy
of NC State to carry out its scholarly work in an open and free atmosphere
and to publish results obtained therefrom freely, limited only by a short
time delay in cases in which this is necessary to establish patent rights.
Although NC State does not undertake research or developmental work principally
for the purpose of developing patents and commercial applications thereof,
patentable inventions sometimes arise out of the research activities of
its employees which are carried out wholly or in part with university
facilities. As a public service institution, NC State has an interest
in assuring the utilization of such inventions for the public good. Protection
must be provided to at least some of these inventions through patents
and licenses to encourage their development and marketing. Patents and
their exploitation, however, represent only a small part of the benefits
accruing from either publicly or privately sponsored research.
A portion of the research conducted by NC State is supported by government
and a portion by private industry. Service to the public, including private
industry, is an integral part of NC State's mission. As a public institution,
the university, in its agreements with private industry or other private
organizations, must keep the interests of the general public in view.
The rights and privileges set forth in cooperative agreements or contracts,
with respect to patents developed as a result of research partly or wholly
financed by private parties, must be fair and just to the inventor(s),
the sponsor and the public. Research should be undertaken by the University
under support from private parties only if it is consistent with and complementary
to the University's goals and responsibilities to the public.
Copies of the Patent
and Copyright Procedures of NC State are available in department offices
and in the Graduate School. Also see the NC State policy on copyright
regulation.
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