Dive Brief:
- Professors are balking at the University of Pittsburgh’s attempt to make them sign away their rights to any intellectual property they develop while working at the school.
- The university says the 2011 Stanford v. Roche U.S. Supreme Court decision requires it to have the professors sign the agreements so it can receive federal funding for research.
- The American Association of University Professors says the professors’ signatures are not required under Stanford v. Roche and that forcing them to sign violates their academic freedom.
Dive Insight:
Pitt has set a Sept. 16 deadline to have the professors sign the agreement, which states that signing it is a condition of employment and having access to university resources. The university’s faculty assembly passed a resolution urging the school to delay the deadline while its academic freedom and tenure committee works with the administration to study the issue. The university says the agreement reflect the school’s existing policies, and it has cited seven other universities that are requiring similar agreements, including Pennsylvania State University. Plus, the school says, the National Institute of Health and other funding agencies require the agreements.