Q: Re: intellectual property rights...

Q: I work for a research group that has developed an app focused on relapse prevention. However, the copyright for the app is owned by the university with which we are affiliated. The university has developed a company to commercialize the app (I also work for this company), so we have licensing rights, but we do not own the copyright. Is the company eligible to enter the contest?

A: Participants can typically submit work that is not their own, as long as it is properly licensed to be used for a competition in which they could win money. You’ll want to check that before you confirm that you’ve met all licensing agreements.

Per the challenge rules: "(ix) Intellectual Property: Your Submission must: (a) be your (or your team or Organization’s) original work product; (b) be solely owned by you, your team, or your Organization with no other person or entity having any right or interest in it; and (c) not violate the intellectual property rights or other rights including but not limited to copyright, trademark, patent, contract, and/or privacy rights, of any other person or entity. A Maker may contract with a third party for technical assistance to create the Submission provided the Submission components are solely the Maker’s work product and the result of the Maker’s ideas and creativity, and the Maker owns all rights to them. A Maker may submit a Submission that includes the use of open source software or hardware, provided the Maker complies with applicable open source licenses and, as part of the Submission, creates software that enhances and builds upon the features and functionality included in the underlying open source product. By entering the Challenge you represent, warrant, and agree that your Submission meets these requirements."