Intellectual property

Intellectual property (IP) is a creative idea or solution that you have developed yourself. The ability to protect IP encourages individuals and industry to research and develop innovative products and services.

Forms of IP protection at Monash University include:

Forms of IPWhat it protectsProtection (years)Registration requiredCost to obtain and maintain
Patents Inventions which are novel, non-obvious and useful 20 Yes High
Copyright Expressions of creative works such as thesis, research articles, software Life of author + 70 (exact time dependent on country) No Low
Confidential information Information that is maintained secretly Perpetual as long as secrecy is maintained n/a Low

Intellectual property policy

Monash University has a comprehensive policy to cover ownership of intellectual property created by its staff and students. For full details of the policy visit the Monash University copyright and related policies page.

The policy also explains the distribution of any revenues produced from the commercialisation of intellectual property. For the majority of cases, the revenue share shown in the table below will apply. Contact us for full details and to discuss your situation.

Net Revenues (external patent costs deducted)

Inventor(s) 30%
Faculty/Department/Institute 33 1/3%
University 36 2/3%