The person who creates the course generally retains the intellectual property rights. However, for courses that are developed with significant use of university resources, course developers and NAU share the courses. That is, course developers who leave NAU may take the courses with them, and the course developers' academic units may continue to use or modify the coursesor discontinue using themafter the course developer departs. Any course materials created by the e-Learning Center (graphics, for example) are owned by NAU, but NAU allows course developers to use them. The course developer cannot claim copyright on course components developed by the e-Learning Center.
Course developers, who are awarded a development stipend from NAU Distance Learning or the e-Learning Center, sign a web course development agreement that contains the following section about intellectual property:
Intellectual Property
Consistent with the Intellectual Property Policy of the Arizona Board of Regents, 6?]908 (Rev. 9/99), for courses that have been developed with significant use of university resources, the Course Developer retains ownership of intellectual property developed by the Course Developer and has first right of refusal to teach the course while still employed by NAU. NAU retains the following rights: 1) A nonexclusive perpetual license to use the course for education, research, or public service. The Course Developer's academic unit may assign instructors other than the Course Developer to teach the course (subject to the previously stated first right of refusal) and may use the course as originally developed or with modifications. The academic unit may also choose not to use the course in the future. 2) The right to control the use of the NAU Logo in all uses of the course. 3) The right to require an appropriate acknowledgment of NAU institutional support of the creation of the work. 4) The right to be informed in advance of any uses, reproductions, distributions, and dispositions of the copyrighted work by the Course Developer(s).
