Franny Lee
Co-Founder & Vice President University Relations / Product Development
SIPX, Inc.
SIPX (formerly the Stanford Intellectual Property Exchange) is a new Web-based technology service created to manage copyrights and deliver digital documents for the higher-education marketplace. Developed from interdisciplinary work between Stanford’s computer science and law faculties, the SIPX research focused on using information technology to address copyright problems such as prohibitive cost, overly complex procedures, availability of quality open content, and liability. The original research goals have not changed: to improve teaching and scholarship by empowering educators with critical information and choices, and to eliminate many copyright barriers and friction points – ultimately also serving as a tool for fair market efficiency, transparency, and copyright and content policy adjustment. The SIPX solution networks together key data, components and stakeholders needed in one easy-to-use end-to-end system, thereby enabling real-time computing of copyright decisions on course materials, faster, legally, and more easily, and combining in options for royalty-free and open content alongside paid content. The system can be used as a stand-alone platform, or blend into current university systems such as library management systems (LMS) and massive open online courses (MOOCs) with global classrooms. The end result: students access content easily, simply, at the best possible price that highlights their cost savings from institutionally-licensed content, and educators and faculty support staff save time and effort. SIPX analytics also provide benefits to all parties: (i) for professors and students, real-time pricing allows optimal selection of cost-effective materials; (ii) for librarians, usage data and purchase information help optimize subscription budgets; and (iii) for university counsel, comprehensive insights into how course materials are used allows better analysis of potential risks.
SIPX was first used at Stanford in April 2011, and the company completed its spinout in October 2012 when it closed its initial institutional financing. It is currently working on a number of implementations, pilots and MOOCs with other institutions, ranging from small community colleges to Big 10 and large research universities, that are slated to launch in the coming spring and fall academic sessions.