- Manage and protect the Institute's Intellectual Property
- Commercialize the Institute's technologies
- Protect the interests of faculty inventors/developers
- Ensure compliance with government laws
- Develop and foster long-term Industry-Institute relationships
What We Do
We receive invention disclosures from Georgia Tech faculty, staff and students, evaluate those disclosures for their novelty, viability and commercial potential, and when possible license them to industry or, if appropriate, a start-up company. If successfully licensed, income received by OTL provides funding to the inventor's department, school or center to support further research, as well as a personal share for the inventor. A disclosure is first reviewed for apparent novelty, then with the inventor to explore potential applications. The technology is then evaluated, a decision made as to whether to seek patent protection, and a marketing and licensing strategy developed. Patentable inventions do constitute the majority of our licensing activities, but we also handle software and other copyright material.
Licensing of Georgia Tech Trademarks other than those related to products resulting from research activities are handled by the Georgia Tech Foundation.
Why We Do It
By fulfilling its mission, and achieving it's goals, OTL serves individual researchers; the research community; the Institute; the State and Federal Governments; industry, commerce and the professions; and the Public. As a public institution, Georgia Tech has an obligation/responsibility to make its research results available for the benefit of the community. Entering into commercial arrangements for the further development of technology is often the only way by which the Institute is able to ensure that the technology is made available. The Institute's technology is usually at an early stage, and will require a substantial investment in its further development before a product is ready for market. No company would normally commit to the support of that further development without an agreement in place to ensure that it will receive commercial benefit from its investment should the further development be successful.
