Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Missouri

Intellectual Property - what are my rights?

My question is this, I am a maintenance supervisor for a property management company, and this company had an idea to create a course for new hires in the maintenance field to attend, so I jump in and created from my own knowledge and research, a test and instruction material for the class. The test is now used for every new maintenance prospect and the course material is used every class. It looks like I may be leaving the company, do I have the rights to that material that I created or do they? Please note that none of the material has been copyrighted, by either the company nor by myself.


Asked on 12/12/99, 12:19 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Bruce Burdick Burdick Law Firm

Re: Intellectual Property - what are my rights?

More facts are required to determine your answer. Did you sign any agreement with the company that the course materials you prepared were a "work for hire"? Was the preparation of the material part of your job responsibility? If the answer to the first question is no, you may own the rights. If the answer to both questions is no, you probably own rights. Give me a call as I am a Missouri copyright lawyer and should be able to help you try to protect any rights you may have or potentially have. The fact that you say the material has not been copyrighted shows you need legal advice, since the material almost certainly IS copyrighted, although apparently not registered.

Bruce Burdick

St. Louis, MO

www.burdlaw.com

[email protected]

These are my personal comments not the comments of any firm of which I may be a member.

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Answered on 12/13/99, 4:02 pm


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