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Research Data Management at TRU

Copyright and Ownership of Data

The answers to "who owns this data" can be complicated and vary from project to project. This is why it's important to find answers and have a plan for this early in the project. This can help you as well if someone leaves TRU or the research team, when you're deciding who is responsible for sharing the data, and what kind of license to assign to your data.

Copyright at TRU

Copyright at TRU depends on the employee. Refer to the Copyright Policy for specific details.


Suggestion

Have a data ownership agreement and "policy" for your project that lays out who is responsible for the data, what will happen to the data, and responsibilities of each team member. This will likely be part of your data management plan itself. Ensure everyone on the team is aware of this information. This may be especially important if you have a large research team or a long-term project. Consider:

  • Are there students who may leave TRU abruptly? Do they understand that you will need the data they collected?
  • Will graduate students publishing papers or theses be able to publish data alongside them if your the larger project is still ongoing?

Helpful Resources to Consider

Copyright and Ownership: Resources