This Q&A is now read-only
Official Q&A: VEX V5 Robotics Competition 2025-2026: Push Back
2891: Ownership of preseason prototype if <G5> legal team split puts equal team members into two new teams.
Our team is school based. Teams are determined by classes which students have no control over. 2025/26 Preseason brainstorming, prototyping and documentation was created by 4 students in class during the months of May and June last year (2025). This year those 4 students then were placed in 2 different classes (2 in one period, 2 in a different period). The School went from 1 team to 3 teams. Team A (last year's team) has zero returning students (they are all new). Team B has 2 students from last year's team. Team C also has 2 students returning from last year. Who retains ownership of the previous year's IP (brainstorming, prototyping and documentation)?
Q+A # 2843: 'Ownership of Ideas when Students Move Teams G4/G5' determined that the team itself retains the information.
Question:
- Does this mean that no one retains the preseason work because there is no one on team A who originated the information, or should team B + C each include the preseason documentation and then proceed to document the iterations made since returning to school and starting in a new team?
Hello, Team 22736C. Thanks for these questions.
Part of the intent of rules <G4> and <G5> is that each Team, in each season, does its own independent brainstorming, prototyping, and documentation. Information from prior seasons, or any content or ideas from anyone other than a current Student Team Member, can be used as reference material but should be properly cited as described in the RECF Guide to Judging.
As described in clause B of rule <G4>,
Teams may be inspired by designs by other Teams, and use an idea from someone else to spark innovation, but are expected to document and demonstrate this in their engineering notebook alongside evidence of iteration.