The legal aspects of engineering education, entrepreneurship, and invention

This paper provides an overview of the legal aspects of entrepreneurship and invention from an educator´s perspective. In today´s environment of rapid deployment of new technologies, often involving some aspect of university research or technology commercialization, decisions are often made without the necessary understanding or consideration of the legal issues that should be considered. Universities and corporations have the benefit of legal counsel, but the legal rights of professors, students, recent graduates, and other entrepreneurs are typically not safeguarded. A basic awareness by educators of the important legal issues is crucial to avoid legal problems or costly litigation. This legal information can be of personal value to the educator and provide an opportunity for the educator to deliver a basic awareness of these legal issues to their students. Topics that are discussed include the importance of legal planning and how it relates to intellectual property rights, confidentiality agreements, employment and business contracts, business associations, and liability issues.