[game_edu] inquiry from the press

[Mike Reddy]

 Very briefly: Both my current and previous employer had a default Uni owns IP situation. This was intended to protect the student's creations by providing a legal entity to pursue abuse. Both have a built in policy for IP to be returned to the student by filling in a simple form, once work was marked. The caveat being that if there was commercial possibility for the work, that an arbitration process was defined for shared profit, should the university seek to commercialise the students' work; in the very few cases where this was done, the uni took all the risks and the students were very happy with the financial situation that resulted. Clearly, this applied more to engineering and scientific work than game production. The decision was the academic's to make and 99.99999999999999999999999% of the time, even if the student work was potentially profitable, rights were just returned with no questions asked. That's what I do.  The policy was justified as a protective measure, as a default, but mostly to protect against the possibility that the uni and staff had "value added" the assessment, provided necessary input, skills and resources, etc, where there could be a valid claim of co-creation. My suspicion would be that uni's would be unlikely to see the merit in pursuing the commercialisation of a game.


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Dr. Mike Reddy, Future Technology, Games Development and A.I., Department of Computing, Newport Business School, University of Wales, Newport, Allt-yr-yn Campus, PO Box 180 Newport South Wales NP20 5XR

Technoleg y Dyfodol, Datblygu Gemau a D.A., Yr Adran Gyfrifiadureg, Ysgol Fusnes Casnewydd, Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd, Campws Allt-yr-ynn, Blwch Post 180, Casnewydd, De Cymru  NP20 5XR

Tel/Ffôn: +44 (0)1633 432452 Fax/Ffacs: +44 (0)1633 432307 Mobile/Symudol: +44 (0)7971 170 199
Email/Ebost: mike.reddy @ newport.ac.uk (remove spaces/dilëwch y bylchau)