Effective immediately, AACE International will use a revised speaker and author release form for articles and technical papers submitted for the Cost Engineering journal and other publications as well as for technical papers for the Annual Meeting and other meetings and conferences sponsored by the Association.
The revised release more clearly defines the non-exclusive intellectual property rights assigned to AACE International by contributors. According to Executive Director Dennis Stork, the release is adapted from a model endorsed by the American Society of Association Executives from a prototype drafted by a leading Washington, DC law firm, Venable and Associates, for not for profit organizations.
“The revised release states that contributors grant AACE International a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use the material submitted but also clarifies that ownership and title to all intellectual property rights not expressly licensed by the contributor to the Association remain with the contributor,” Stork commented. As with the previous releases, the document indemnifies AACE International from potential liability should a contributor submit material that he or she does not have the rights to contribute, Stork noted. Stork commented that the new release does not significantly alter the intent or scope of the previous agreements but provides more explicit language regarding the rights retained by the contributor and reduces the ambiguity regarding the respective rights and responsibilities of the contributor and the Association.
Stork indicated that similar language regarding intellectual property licenses will be adapted to cover contributions to collaborative work products such as Recommended Practices in the near future. To review the revised AACE International speaker and author release, click here.
Effective immediately, AACE International will use a revised speaker and author release form for articles and technical papers submitted for the Cost Engineering journal and other publications as well as for technical papers for the Annual Meeting and other meetings and conferences sponsored by the Association. 
