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Software Ownership for Computing Students?

  • 24-04-2015 8:59am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 800 ✭✭✭


    Hi folks,

    Where exactly is the line drawn regarding who owns what when it comes to software developed by students?

    I have heard before that WIT takes 10% of any profit made on the app store, etc, of final year projects, but could be completely wrong on that figure.

    I do know that WIT own some percentage of final year projects, but do not know how much, or if this extends to other projects related to the students final year project, or indeed projects un-related to the course at all (So software developed on your own time, outside of the college, but during the semester).

    I've looked online, but couldn't find anything on this. If anyone you can help, please let me know!

    Thanks!


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 1,461 ✭✭✭Musicman2000


    a fat guy wrote: »
    Hi folks,

    Where exactly is the line drawn regarding who owns what when it comes to software developed by students?

    I have heard before that WIT takes 10% of any profit made on the app store, etc, of final year projects, but could be completely wrong on that figure.

    I do know that WIT own some percentage of final year projects, but do not know how much, or if this extends to other projects related to the students final year project, or indeed projects un-related to the course at all (So software developed on your own time, outside of the college, but during the semester).

    I've looked online, but couldn't find anything on this. If anyone you can help, please let me know!

    Thanks!

    Never heard of this. If they came looking for 10% I wouldn't be long telling them where to stick it. At the end of the day you pay the college not the other way around.


  • Registered Users Posts: 686 ✭✭✭imacman


    Hi Guys
    Unlike most of the other colleges in Ireland WIT takes no cut on intellectual property created by postgraduate or undergraduate students. Its a policy from the Technology transfer and Research Department encourage IP development.


  • Registered Users Posts: 800 ✭✭✭a fat guy


    imacman wrote: »
    Hi Guys
    Unlike most of the other colleges in Ireland WIT takes no cut on intellectual property created by postgraduate or undergraduate students. Its a policy from the Technology transfer and Research Department encourage IP development.

    Wow, really? A friend of mine was developing an IOS app and was fully sure that he was going to have to give a cut to both Apple and WIT (Leaving him with whatever was left over).

    Sounds good! Also, where can I go to find out more about this kind of stuff?


  • Registered Users Posts: 686 ✭✭✭imacman


    Students are not WIT employees so WIT make no claims over their IP unless it was a funded project or they incorporated WIT background into the project.

    Exact policy listed below

    5.1 Student Created Intellectual Property

    For the avoidance of doubt, Intellectual Property created by a student belongs to the student unless: it was created while the student was participating in a Funded Research program other than Incidental Use of the Institutes Resources were made in its creation. In any of the above mentioned cases, the Intellectual Property is owned by the Institute or other party as may be required by the Funding Research program, grant or stipend. In case of student created Intellectual Property owned by the Institute, the student would participate in any commercial benefits as described in Section 9 in the same way as would a staff member.


  • Registered Users Posts: 972 ✭✭✭Digital Society


    All nonsense.

    If that was the case all you would do is rename it or stop developing it.

    However if you submit your code to anyone else you can't patent it anyway. Its open source and in the public domain. You have to open it up to get the marks and at least 5 people will see it in detail. The final project is a technical exercise not a commercial project.

    Work on the money makers in your own time and alone. Only an idiot would come up with a great idea then reveal it to a class full of programmers anyway.


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  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 17,642 Mod ✭✭✭✭Graham


    All nonsense.

    If that was the case all you would do is rename it or stop developing it.

    However if you submit your code to anyone else you can't patent it anyway. Its open source and in the public domain. You have to open it up to get the marks and at least 5 people will see it in detail. The final project is a technical exercise not a commercial project.

    Work on the money makers in your own time and alone. Only an idiot would come up with a great idea then reveal it to a class full of programmers anyway.

    There's a fairly large amount of very jumbled (and incorrect) information in your post there DS.

    Showing someone your code does not make it open source or public domain.
    You generally don't patent software in Europe, you automatically have copyright over it.
    Ideas are generally worthless, it's executing those ideas successfully that gives them any value.


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