Policies
Guidance, Protection, & Procedure

1. University of California Patent Policy

2. University of California Copyright Policies

3. University of California Open Source Software Guidance

4. University of California Export Control

5. University of California Conflict of Interest Policies

6. Guidance on Start-Up Companies and Equity Management

 

Licensing Income Distribution Policy

Inventors/researchers, the University, and the State of California all share in the revenue earned from licensing of UCSF inventions. Net income is distributed once a year, usually in November. Income distribution models for both patent and copyright inventions are shown below and more details can be found in the respective policies: UC Patent Policy and UCSF Copyright Policy. (Note: The income distributions shown are the default cases based on the current policies. The UC Patent Policy and UCSF Copyright Policy are subject to change, therefore check the policies for the most up-to-date information.)

Invention Income Distribution

Under the current UC Patent Policy, inventors receive 35% of net licensing income, which includes royalties and fees. If there is more than one inventor, the default is that all inventors equally share in the inventor's share of income. If all of the inventors agree on a different income distribution, then they must complete and sign the Invention Income Distribution Form.

Copyright Income Distribution

Inventors may choose to receive their share of copyright income as personal income or donate some or all of it to their lab or group. Inventor shares donated to a lab/group will be matched dollar-for-dollar from the school/department shares. The charts below show the extreme examples.

If the developers of unpatented software or apps would like to allocate the income differently than the default case, then all of the developers will need to complete the appropriate Software/App Income Distribution and Development Form.

>>> Option A: Inventors Receive Their Share of Copyright Income

>>> Option B: Inventors Choose to Donate Their Entire Share to Their Lab/Group