I'm a graduate student at the university. One of my research products got a patent and was licensed (my goal is graduation, and the invention is not our purpose. We just realized there was a market for that after we created the technology). I'm not affiliated with the company and I got a 1099-MISC royalty (box.2) from my patent (from the university). How do I know if I'm self-employed or involved in the business of the patent? It seems if I'm self-employed or involved in the business, I need to use Schedule C for my tax report, if not, I should go for Schedule E. Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.
