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Inventions and creative works may occur in any field and can potentially lead to commercial products and/or processes. The University of Kansas Center for Technology Commercialization (KUCTC) is available to assist researchers and inventors who may want to protect their intellectual property through the patent, trademark or copyright process.

University faculty and staff should bear in mind that it is difficult to protect any invention or creative work after it has been disclosed through publication, presentation, or discussion. This is particularly true if your idea has global marketing potential that would require filing foreign patent protection. KUCTC staff are available to assist you with the process of protecting intellectual property. During the past twenty-five years an extensive list of KUCTC technologies have been protected primarily through the patent process.

University researchers and inventors should complete an patent invention disclosure questionnaire. Requests for these can be directed to ottip@ku.edu. Call KUCTC to discuss the novelty of ideas before posting it on a website, submitting it as part of a manuscript, describing it in a grant proposal, or presenting it at a conference. Once the idea is protected by filing a patent application then it can published, presented and talked about.

Some inventions and creative works lend themselves more readily to trademark or copyright protection. These generally apply to educational materials, multimedia presentations, and software. A substantial number of creative works produced by KU faculty have been protected by working with KUCTC staff through copyright or trademark. Copyright protection is provided at creation, but under some circumstances may require registration with the U.S. Copyright Office. KUCTC can help you determine if protection of an idea should be achieved through patent, trademark or copyright. If the type of protection needed is determined to be trademark or copyright then completing the invention disclosure questionnaire initiates that process with KUCTC.