Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Michigan

breach of contract??????

I am a graduate student who is switching advisors. I have a copywrite on my thesis in my name only and I am self-supporting. My former advisor pressured me to sign a pact with him two years ago stating that I agree not to transfer my research project over to another advisor. As far as I can tell, this pact is not a legal contract, it was never notarized or anything like that. Now my advisor is threatening to take me to court, claiming that transferring my research with me is theft of his intellectual property. I don't see how that is the case, since my tuition and fees have funded the research, and he has not contributed to my research at all, but he keeps bringing up his stupid little pact that I signed with him. Is an informal contract, not signed in front of witnesses and not notarized, a legal and binding contract?


Asked on 10/21/04, 12:30 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Patrick Tracy Patrick J. Tracy, Esq, P.E.,

Re: breach of contract??????

A contract can be valid if two parties sign the document and agree to the tems contained therein. You need to check with an attorney to see what rights and obligations you may have with this agreement. I cannot state further since I have not reviewed the agreement.

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Answered on 10/21/04, 12:48 pm


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