The Chronicle of Higher Education: Court Partly Sides With Faculty Union in Intellectual-Property Dispute
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled on Friday that a long-running dispute between the state Board of Regents and the Kansas National Education Association over intellectual-property rights must be decided by the state’s employee-relations board.
The dispute began in 1997, when Pittsburg State University’s faculty union, which is affiliated with the Kansas National Education Association, objected to a policy proposed by the Kansas Board of Regents, the governing board for state colleges. Under the proposal, the board claimed ownership of any intellectual property created by faculty members at the university — a sweeping policy that apparently would include research findings, scientific inventions, books, software, online courses, and more. The Kansas NEA argued that the ownership of intellectual property should be subject to negotiation, just as faculty salaries or health benefits are.
Related story: Inside Higher Ed
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