Does anyone happen to know the laws dealing with ownership rights on the
products of college students??? Who actually owns the things that
college students do as requirements for a course ? ....the student or
the faculty member?
The reason I ask is that I am thinking of having students help me write
a book (self-published on compact disc) called "The Plants of
Louisville, Kentucky". It would be a photo-identification book
specifically dealing with the native and horticultural plants of this region.
My idea is that in a few years the book might be complete enough that I
could publish it and then sell it at local bookstores. The book would
help people figure out the names of common plants growing in Louisville neighborhoods.
My plan is to have students in my various Plant Biology courses over
the years actually help me with this publication....it would be sort of
a "service learning" type of an assignment for them.......
My question is: Can I sell a product (in this case a CD) that
contains pictures and information collected by students in the course of
meeting the academic requirements of my class????
I certainly don't want to do this if it is illegal (or unethical)...I
have spoken to two attorneys already and they don't know the answer!!!
Thanks for any information you might have about this issue.....
Dave Robinson
Biology Department
Bellarmine University
2001 Newburg Road
Louisville, KY 40205
502-452-8197
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