Science, authorship and contracts..

[TruthSeeker]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question.

I am involved in a strange negotiation process with a colleague regarding authorship on some ongoing projects. Do you know of any legal guidelines about drawing up such agreements? Is this covered under intellectual property law or is it contract law? Would our written statements need to be notarized? What are the consequences of violating such an agreement?

Any and all guidance appreciated. In the past, these things have always just worked themselves out but suddenly I'm involved in a tricky situation.

Thanks

 

[drkitten]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question.

I am involved in a strange negotiation process with a colleague regarding authorship on some ongoing projects. Do you know of any legal guidelines about drawing up such agreements? Is this covered under intellectual property law or is it contract law? Would our written statements need to be notarized? What are the consequences of violating such an agreement?

If you need legal help, the JREF forum is not the place to ask for it. ("Free legal advice can be the second most expensive thing in the world.")

 

[Tez]

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question.

I am involved in a strange negotiation process with a colleague regarding authorship on some ongoing projects. Do you know of any legal guidelines about drawing up such agreements? Is this covered under intellectual property law or is it contract law? Would our written statements need to be notarized? What are the consequences of violating such an agreement?

Any and all guidance appreciated. In the past, these things have always just worked themselves out but suddenly I'm involved in a tricky situation.

Thanks

I'm not sure where youre working, but every instiution I've been at - university or commercial - has had specialized lawyers they use for such IP related things. Ask around.

The guidelines for authorship of research papers, as perceived by say the American Physical Society, can be found on their website. However these are certianly nothing like legal documents...

 

[TruthSeeker]

thanks

I have our institution's guidelines, but, yes, these are not legal documents. I will seek legal counsel. I guess the clear version of my question was "does this merit seeking legal counsel"

Thanks again

TS