

Ask HN: Who owns my senior design project? - teeray

I'm working with three others on a senior design project for our "customer" who is from outside our university. Once all is finished, I wanted to post the source to Github for potential employers to see, but I'm not sure if I will be able to (my group members are okay with it). I haven't asked our professor about IP rights, but other students have in the past and basically received a non-answer. Any thoughts? What is typical in this situation?
======
jpk
The startup I'm working on now sprung from my senior design project. In our
case, our "customer" was a local startup incubator. Their goal was not only to
mentor the project, but help us turn it into a business (so retaining
ownership of it was critical). We investigated the IP stuff from the outset.
After some informal conversations at our school and others, we determined that
they mostly don't care about undergrad projects, and we can do whatever we
wanted with it.

Most research universities have IP and commercialization people (our school
included), but the purpose of that activity is limited mostly to faculty and
grad student projects since those projects often require some non-trivial
resources from the university (so they want some ROI). Nearly every undergrad
project that a student might claim ownership of doesn't require any school
resources beyond the standard stuff (maybe you used lab computers to host your
site or code repository for a little while during the semester -- not a big
deal).

I think in your situation, since you just want to use it as a portfolio piece,
I agree with noahc: just post it, but take it down if asked. If you wanted to
use the IP for something that might create significant value (read: you'd make
enough to make it worth it for the school or the "customer" to sue), I'd ask
first and get something in writing (with the help of lawyer, if possible).

------
caw
My school's policy (at least to my understanding) was something along the
lines of this:

* You're not paid, so it's not their property

* The customer receives all rights to use the software and the source code in order to modify, but they can't sell it (requirement for making it a senior design project), otherwise they'll make $$$ off free labor.

* You are free to use your code/design in portfolios since you created it.

* No NDA's from any party (school, students, or companies)

------
noahc
This is more of a cowboy opinion (as in what I would do) than anything else.

I would post it. They aren't going to sue you unless you refuse to take it
down. If they ask, take it down.

Of course this is contingent on there really being nothing in the contract.

------
awestley
Is the customer paying for the solution or the code? What are there
expectations? Why type of license is attached to the project you created? if
any.

