What is a Collaborative Agreement?

A collabortive agreement is a written agreement between members of a collaborative.

Collaborative agreements are written agreements between two or more parties that contribute to a project. The parties, called the collaborative, may consist of individuals or organizations. A collaborative agreement defines the rights and responsibilities of each party in the collaborative, and provides remedies for conflicts and disagreements.

Purpose

The collaborative agreement works to protect the interests of each member of the collaborative, including copyrights of intellectual property, distribution of monies and information sharing. The agreement also addresses payment procedures and administrative responsibilities.

Contents

The collaborative agreement lists specific duties and deadlines, monetary stakes for each party, how the work will be attributed and ownership of any copyrights. The agreement will also specify the timeline of the agreement, which party maintains business control, which member has the right to final approval, warranties and indemnity clauses.

Law

According to the Law Offices of Lloyd J. Jassin , a collaborative agreement is not bound by the default copyright laws in the United States. Collaborators can write their own rules concerning ownership of copyright.

Considerations

A collaboration agreement constitutes a legal document. You should always seek the advice of an attorney before signing the agreement.

References

• Ontario Trillium Foundation: Writing a Collaborative Agreement Tip Sheet
• The Law Offices of Lloyd J. Jassin: Negotiating Collaboration Agreements
• University of Maryland, Baltimore, Office of Research and Development: Collaborative Agreements