Licensing of data from a published paper

[Dr. Courtney]

A colleague and I were recently approached by a publisher of educational materials regarding licensing the data from our paper, "Studying the Internal Ballistics of a Combustion Driven Potato Cannon using High-speed Video". See: http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1305/1305.0966.pdf

This is somewhat new territory for us. Has any of the PF readers or contributors been through this process before? We are generally willing for the data to be used for positive educational reasons, but we would like to both protect our interests and ensure that our data is used correctly (that the physics is right). Any suggestions?

 

[fzero]

You should consult with the USAFA Office of Research. Some press releases suggest that the Academy encourages such technology transfer as federal policy. IANAL, but you should also consider consulting an independent IP attorney to represent your personal interests. While it may seem unlikely, this publisher might be sued if someone is injured using some "How-to Potato Cannon" document and you could find yourself involved. Such a worst case situation would be unpleasant, even if the Academy provides you with legal assistance. You should also protect your coauthors interests, since they seem to be unaffiliated with the Academy.

One other thing, @berned_you is Greg Bernhardt's sister and a practicing attorney. Perhaps she could give you better advice.

 

[martane]

First of all, congratulations on your paper being recognized by a publisher of educational materials! That's a great achievement.

Regarding your question, I haven't personally been through the process of licensing data for educational purposes, but I do have some suggestions based on my experience with publishing and sharing research data.

Firstly, it's great that you are willing to share your data for educational purposes. However, it's important to make sure that your data is used correctly and that proper credit is given to you and your colleague. I would suggest discussing with the publisher about including a citation or acknowledgement of your paper in any materials that use your data.

Additionally, you could consider adding a license to your data, such as a Creative Commons license, which allows for the sharing and use of your data with certain restrictions. This can help protect your interests and ensure that your data is used appropriately.

Lastly, you may want to ask the publisher for details about how they plan to use your data and if they have any specific guidelines or requirements for using it. This can help ensure that your data is being used for the right purposes and in the correct context.

Overall, it's great that you are considering these factors and taking steps to protect your interests while still sharing your data for educational purposes. I wish you the best of luck with the licensing process!