Intellectual Property Ownership Model in Academia: An Analysis

Abstract

University ownership model of intellectual property rights (IPR) has been widely used by universities around the world. With the new awareness of the importance of IPR, universities are keener to obtain ownership of any intellectual property (IP) created within the university in order to ensure smooth technology transfer and commercialization of the IP. This paper analyses other models of IPR ownership in order to boost invention and innovation within Malaysian research universities. Through the most appropriate ownership model for universities, it is expected that revenue generated from the university IP could be used to fund new research at the universities. However, with all the excitement to commercialize the university IP, inventors sometimes are left with little benefit from their inventions which dampen their motivation to continue with research and produce more new inventions. Malaysia as an emerging economy actively seeking to encourage university invention, commercialization and entrepreneurship, should experiment with different models of intellectual property ownership/commercialization.