According to UBC policy, UBC owns the rights to inventions, software and other products of research developed by students as part of their graduate work. The policy requires that, if a student "proposes to patent or license an invention or discovery and University facilities or funds administered by the University were used in making the invention or discovery", the "disclosure must be made to the University and the rights assigned to the University in return for a share of any profits arising from the invention or discovery." Disclosure forms and more information about the University Patent and Licensing Plan can be obtained from the Industry Liaison Office in IRC 331.

Public disclosure in any form of patentable material before a formal patent application has been filed in at least one country, might compromise potential patent protection in other countries. Deposition of a thesis in the UBC Library constitutes such disclosure.

If it appears that the subject matter of the research presented in your thesis is likely to lead to patentable or licensable material, you should discuss this with the University Industry Liaison Office as early as possible, and well before the intended date of submitting the thesis. In the case of doctoral dissertations, this must be done before the dissertation can be submitted to the External Examiner.