Purpose
This policy summarizes the rights and responsibilities regarding intellectual property created, owned, used, or disseminated by the International Society of Automation, ensuring that its intellectual property is protected, managed and properly utilized.
Scope
This policy applies to all Contributors: any individual or group, including Society Sections, involved in creating or contributing to the intellectual property of the Society, whether paid or unpaid. Contributors’ work includes the development of standards, technical guidelines, technical reports, training courses, certification materials, publications, events, papers, and other activities under the auspices of the Society. Such work creates intellectual property rights held by the Society, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and other proprietary information.
Contributor Obligations
Contributors agree to assign all intellectual property rights to ISA as a condition of their work with the Society; to ensure that any such contributions contain no intellectual property owned by other entities; and to report to the Society any subsequent discovery of third-party owned intellectual property previously incorporated into Society-sponsored materials. The Society may choose to credit Contributors for their work, where appropriate, but that credit does not imply any ownership rights in the Contributor.
Contributors are solely responsible for determining whether disclosure of any material that they submit to ISA requires the prior consent of other parties and, if so, to obtain it. These contributions may not be submitted for consideration or incorporated until copyright permission acceptable to the ISA CEO has been granted.
All Contributors agree to indemnify ISA against claims arising from their work.
IP Registration, Licensing and Protection
ISA registers copyright for significant works, such as standards, publications, reports, and digital content.
ISA registers trademarks for its name, logo, and any unique programs or services. For information on the proper use of the ISA brand or any other trademarked material, refer to the Brand, Reputation, and Public Interest Policy.
ISA has sole authority to license the use of its intellectual property. A Contributor or any other person or organization, including Society groups, must request, in writing to the CEO, to use ISA intellectual property. ISA does not permit the use of its intellectual property absent a written agreement.
Ownership
ISA owns the copyright for all works produced by the Society with the Society or any of the Society’s subsidiaries. Drafts, proposals, or works-in-progress are considered confidential and shall not be shared or utilized in any way except for its original purpose without written permission from ISA CEO.
Presentations created for ISA events or activities include a perpetual, royalty-free and irrevocable license for ISA to use, copy, publish, and distribute any presentation materials, in whole or in part, unless explicitly stated otherwise in an agreement between the presenter and the Society prior to the activity.
Any derivative works, including translations, are the intellectual property of ISA.
ISA Sections
As Society affiliates, ISA sections may use certain ISA trademarks in their normal operations and may, with the Society’s approval, develop additional intellectual property under the Society’s auspices. Ownership of all such intellectual property remains, however, with the Society. If the section ceases to exist for any reason, the ownership of all intellectual property remains with ISA. ISA may, in its sole discretion, revoke a section’s right to use any Society intellectual property.
Indemnification
All participants warrant that their contributions do not infringe on third-party intellectual property rights. All contributors agree to indemnify ISA against claims arising from their contributions.
Distribution and Publication
ISA has the exclusive right to use, modify, publish, sell, and distribute any products, drafts, proposals, or works in progress created using Society resources or done so in the Society’s name.
Standards, Technical Reports and Recommended Practices
Standards, technical reports and recommended practices will be distributed under terms determined by ISA. Contributors and committee members shall not present, use, publish, or distribute any portion of the content, including drafts, without written authorization from the ISA CEO.
Training
Training materials are for the sole use of course attendees. Notes and materials shall not be shared or distributed in any way. Contributors to the development of course materials and course instructors shall not, without authorization from the ISA CEO, prepare any material for use in any competitive work.
Publications
Articles, books, papers and other content created on behalf of ISA will be distributed as determined appropriate by the Society. Authors and contributors shall not present, use, publish, or distribute any portion of the content, including drafts, without written authorization from the ISA CEO.
AI Tools
Under no circumstances shall any ISA material, whether draft or final, be uploaded into or shared with any AI tool for dissemination, consolidation, summarization, proofreading, or creation of derivative works without written permission from the ISA CEO. Permission from the individual author or contributor is NOT sufficient. Please refer to the policy on the Use of AI Tools in ISA Activities.
Infringement
ISA is authorized to pursue any situations in which the Society’s intellectual property is infringed. This may include support from legal counsel, cease and desist notices, litigation, code of conduct violations, or other disciplinary action determined appropriate for the severity of the infringement.
Approved July 2025