2/4/2009Slide 1

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

Software Licensing Experiences

Russell M. Taylor II

Research Professor

Computer Science

Physics & Astronomy

Curriculum on Applied Sciences & Engineering

2/4/2009Slide 2

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

Don’t Do This!

“Virtual-reality User Interface For Controlling Specimen Modification With Scanning Probe Microscopes”

• Published 1992

• Disclosed January 7, 1994

• Game Over!

2/4/2009Slide 3

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

But if you Do…

• Nick England/3rdTech still licensed– Took a long time – ask him for the model– Improvements go both directions

• www.nanomanipulator.com

2/4/2009Slide 4

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

OTD Has Limited Resources

“Manual or Algorithmic Control of a Scanned Probe Microscope Tip in Three Dimensions”

• Relied on inventors to locate funding for patent

• Still in limbo

2/4/2009Slide 5

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

OTD Didn’t Waste My Time

“Thank-you ware”

• No market for technique to register use of free software

• Case closed (mothballed) immediately

2/4/2009Slide 6

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

OTD: Once was Blazing Fast

“A Method for Rendering Non-Polygonal Surfaces on Programmable Graphics Hardware”

• Disclosure received Feb 2, 2004• Provisional Patent filed Feb 20, 2004

• Don’t count on this …

2/4/2009Slide 7

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

OTD: Can go the Distance

“Better than surgical camera (BTSC): a method for display of normally-occluded surfaces of interest in medical images”

• Interest from Radiology, CS, Siemens• Provisional patent applied for• International patent applied for• Licensed to Siemens

– Took almost 6 months of badgering for payment

2/4/2009Slide 8

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

Other Models

• nM: Commercialization is what worked

• VRPN: Public-domain was needed

• CISMM: NIH-funded free/open source– ImageSurfer– Video Spot Tracker– Fluorescence Simulator– Video Optimizer– …

2/4/2009Slide 9

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

Licenses

• Binary-only: Standard software model

• GNU General Public Licenses (GPL)– Lesser/Library– General Public License: Using other libraries

with this licenses in your code has serious consequences

• Berkeley (BSD)

• Public Domain

2/4/2009Slide 10

UNC-CH OTD Software Seminar Russ Taylor

Summary

• Disclose (well) before publishing if you want to pursue commercially

• Disclose derivative works as well as new works before pursuing commercially

• Let OTD know the time constraints• Discuss all known or suspected industrial interest

• Talk to Nick England about setting up licenses for non-patented IP with feedback from development.