If the recent NBC spat with David Letterman is any indication, people are uncertain about who owns intellectual property (e.g. patents, inventions).

Larry Sill, a member of NIU’s Physics Department and director of the college’s technology commercialization office, has written a handbook that may help to settle these concerns.

The pamphlet, entitled “The Intellectual Properties Handbook,” is designed specifically for faculty and staff. It gives views on different intellectual properties, such as patents, copyrights and trademarks.

It also gives examples of how to protect research results from harm by suggesting the various forms of protection.

This may not be a problem for some professors here. Author and Professor Charles Larson of the NIU communications department said he has had no problem with his research being endangered.

“I’ve never had a problem with (intellectual property),” Larson said. “I guess no one wanted to duplicate my research.”

Sill has been at NIU for 30 years now, since 1964. He has served ten of those years as the associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

He has been either the author or coauthor on over 20 professional papers, but the area of intellectual property is new for Sill.

“The office is involved with intellectual property, so (Sill) had to learn about it,” he said.

What does Sill think about the Letterman-NBC problem?

“It would fall under copyright, I think. NBC should document their rights and so should Dave (Letterman),” he said. “It’s an intellectual property matter, but I’m unsure of how it will be resolved.”