Law360, New York ( September 10, 2015, 10:34 AM EDT) -- Ever since the Bayh-Dole Act[1] of 1980 gave intellectual property rights in federally funded inventions to universities, technology transfer offices have struggled to balance the traditional mission of academic institutions to publicly disseminate knowledge, with the challenges of protecting and commercializing university inventions. Although academic institutions recognize the value of translating research into patents, licenses and commercial products, there remains a strong scholastic motivation for faculty and students to publish their research findings in journals and at academic conferences to advance their reputation and career. As a result, intellectual property is often an afterthought for faculty and students. This article addresses some common disclosure activities in university settings and evaluates the potential risk that they might forfeit intellectual property rights....