Legal Question in Intellectual Property in North Carolina

I'm finishing up my degree in Web Technologies, and for the "Final Project", or capstone as they call it, we're asked to build a web application. This is a full scale web application with hundreds of pages of documentation, and probably over 2500 hours of work and time devoted to the project.

When all is said in done, who own's the final project? Would I own the copyright to the project since I built it, or would the school own it since I built it for my final at their school? Would I be able to sell the final project after I'm out of class?

My question is simple! Who owns the copyright to the final project? Would it work if I licensed the college a copy of the final application? Meaning they can use that copy for showing other students? I just hate to spend that much time on something, and not be able to gain from it.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,

Jacob


Asked on 1/11/10, 7:53 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Sarah Grosse Sarah Grosse, Esquire

The answer is simple as well: you own the copyrights to your final project. The college may be able to have a limited license to use it for educational purposes, but they certainly could not capitalize on it. You own your work from the time you create it, hit "send" on a computer, or print it out and submit it. I suggest that you register the final product with the US copyright office so that you may enforce your rights if it ever comes to that.

I am willing to give you a further free consult if you want. You can email me.

Kind regards.

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Answered on 1/16/10, 8:34 am


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