Generally institution can not make any claim of ownership of student dissertations or theses. However, the institution can retain a non-exclusive license to make copies of dissertations or theses as needed for the academic or archival purposes of the institution. This can include providing open access to the work on the Internet (institutional repository).  If necessary, to protect legitimate proprietary interests and IP (such as patent rights), students should have an option to delay the public display of their dissertation or thesis (embargo period), until they secure the patent. So, the copyright and IP right should remain with the student/researcher, not with the institution. Dr. J. K. VIJAYAKUMAR. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.