It depends. Under the current SUNY copyright policy, faculty retain ownership of works produced in the scope of employment, including works produced for on-line instruction unless there is a written agreement between the University and the faculty member to the contrary Putting it more specifically, SUNY and faculty may contract for “work-for-hire,” authorize the work in advance by written agreement, and determine in the contract who the owner shall be. With respect to work produced for on-line instruction, practice regarding the use of written agreements varies from campus to campus. In the absence of a written work-for-hire agreement, copyright ownership vests in the faculty.
