The University has special arrangements relating to copyright ownership and use, set out in Policy 73 – Intellectual Property Rights. Under this policy, faculty, staff and students will generally own the copyright to work they create through teaching and research, with certain exceptions, such as works created as assigned tasks to assist the operation, administration and/or management of the University’s affairs. The University retains a non-exclusive, free, irrevocable licence to copy and/or use copyright-protected scholarly works created in the course of teaching and research activities for the sole purpose of other University teaching and research activities but excluding further sublicensing or distribution to persons or organizations outside the University community. Policy 73 also expressly recognizes that students own the copyright to their theses.
That said, ownership can be affected by agreements with industry sponsors or joint authors, who may have an interest in work they have helped to create or fund. Ultimately, ownership will depend on the facts of your situation and you should contact the Waterloo Commercialization Office (WatCo) if you are unsure about the ownership of your work.