AREA SERVIZI SUPPORTO ALLA RICERCA E INNOVAZIONE DIDATTICA
SERVIZIO VALORIZZAZIONE DELLA RICERCA (TTO)
Guide for Completing and Submitting the Software Disclosure Form
This Guide has been assembled as a reference for Politecnico di Milano’s researchers who are disclosing a software to the University. It provides tips and background for several of the questions that appear on the Software Disclosure Form.
The “Software Disclosure Form” has essentially a dual role:
- it contains a detailed description of the softwareprogram;
- it constitutes a declaration of the authors to transfer the ownership at the University.
The detailed description of the softwareallows the TTO staff to conduct aprior art search.
The author should highlight the advantages of the software (compared to the prior art), the industrial application, the stage of development, the time to market, the potential commercial value, the target market in terms of size, expected growth and geographical distribution, the alleged life cycle of the software, and list of any companies potentially interested in the software.
It is therefore essential that the form is fulfilled carefully in order to assess and then to exploit the invention.
Completion of the form
Section A.Title of software - Use a short and descriptive title.
Section B and C.Author information - Provide the full names of every person you consider to be an author of the software. Please also identify the title and the department of each author as of the date of the conception of the software.
Section D. Project – Softwaredo not always result from independent research. Sometimes softwarestem from research contracts made with companies. In this case the ownership of the softwarewill not necessarily belong only to the University.
Section F.List of disclosed documentation -It is essential to verify that the author has not made a so-called “prior disclosure".
Also the discussion of a thesis is considered a prior disclosure.
A copy of the thesis delivered to the University library must be made "not available for consultation."
Section H. Detailed description - A detailed description of the software program, its novel aspects, including how it differs from other software available on the market and the purposes for which it may be used.
Market - The market is one of the most important parameters to be considered when you decide to invest in a software. Evaluate first the size and growth of the market.
It may be a niche product with a market so small but very well defined; on the contrary may be a product of mass consumption with many players on the market.
Then it will be important to understand which company should be contacted, large or small? [in both cases there may be advantages and disadvantages]. Important is also the geographical distribution of the relevant market, depending on which exploitation can be more or less complicated, especially for a University.
Development stages - The stages of development are: the conceptual stage, the experimental stage, and the prototype.
It is a parameter that indicates the present distance from the stage of real commercial exploitation of the software.
It is a very important parameter because it is a strong indicator of the level of risk that is taken in the decision to register the software.
It is also a parameter to be considered for future licensing.
Potential economic value of the software - Indicate the costs of software development, if there is a commercial use, or distribution or other types of licenses or particular users.
Rights of third parties - Indicate whether for the software developed,there are rights of other parts.
Section I.Please, make a list of any companies which you believe may be potentially interested in obtaining a license on your software.