Data Use Agreement and Legal Information

Ownership Rights

All data, whether in whole or part, are owned by Wellmark. The University of Iowa or its researcher(s) will retain ownership rights to any software written to use these data. However, no commercial gain shall be made from that software without consent/negotiation with Wellmark. The legal agreement signed by Wellmark and the University of Iowa can be found by clicking here: legal agreement.

Consequences for Failure to Abide by the Data Use Agreement

As a major research institution, the University of Iowa has established principles, policies and guidelines for the ethical conduct of research. The University of Iowa policies governing research misconduct shall be used to determine consequences for failure to abide by the agreed upon terms of this partnership. (See the website of the Office of the Vice President for Research: http://research.uiowa.edu/vpr.)

The consequences for failure of an individual researcher or member of his /her team to abide by the Wellmark-UI data use agreement and additional access and use restrictions imposed here at the University of Iowa could have ramifications on all users of the data. It should be noted that such access to this type of data resource being offered to the University of Iowa by Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is very unusual and valuable. If the actions of one or a few cause the University community to lose this resource, we all are impacted.