Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement

Safeguard Your Business Assets with an Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement

Intellectual Property (IP) constitutes a vital asset for most modern businesses. To avoid complications and safeguard your business’s valuable creations, transfer all existing IP into the company using an Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement. This process ensures a centralised asset base and prevents contributors from owning separate parts of the company’s core assets, creating a more cohesive and efficient management of intellectual property.

Assign IP from Key Individuals to the Company

Each key person involved in the business should sign an agreement like this. This step guarantees the effective transfer of present and future IP to the company, providing a clear and indisputable record of ownership. Note that an IP Assignment Agreement might not be necessary if the key individuals have always been employed by the company. In such cases, IP produced during employment legally belongs to the employer. However, having a formal agreement in place ensures clarity and reduces the risk of potential disputes.

Benefits of a Well-Structured Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement

A comprehensive IP Assignment Agreement offers several benefits to your business:

  1. Clear ownership: The agreement establishes unambiguous ownership of intellectual property, reducing the risk of disputes and confusion.
  2. Simplified valuation: Centralising IP assets makes it easier to assess the overall value of your business, particularly during fundraising, mergers, or acquisitions.
  3. Streamlined licensing: With all IP assets under the company’s ownership, it becomes more straightforward to grant licenses or enter into partnerships that involve use of IP.

When to Talk to a Lawyer or Get a Quote

Our IP Assignment Agreement template provides a strong starting point for businesses looking to transfer their IP assets. However, you may need additional guidance in some situations. You should Talk to a Lawyer or Get a Quote if you:

1. Seek advice on the specifics of your Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement.
2. Need assistance tailoring the agreement to your unique business needs.
3. Encounter complex or unique circumstances that require specialised legal expertise.

We designed our Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement to establish a solid foundation for your business’s IP protection. Still, we recommend getting legal advice to ensure the document meets your needs and complies with applicable laws.

Consult a lawyer (such as Attune Legal) if you need help tailoring your Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement to your business’ needs. This step will ensure that your agreement accurately reflects your negotiations while protecting your interests and complying with the law. By proactively addressing IP ownership, you can focus on growing your business with confidence.

Tailoring is when a lawyer customizes an automated legal document to meet your specific needs. This process starts with a consultation, after which you will complete a form to generate the initial draft of the document (if you haven’t already generated a DIY legal document). The lawyer will amend the document in line with what was discussed during the consultation, then send it to you for review. Once all reviews are complete the document will be finalised for use, or eSigning (if applicable).

A review is when you send feedback to the lawyer on a tailored document, and they make changes or respond to your comments. Feedback should be made by commenting directly within the document. Tailoring includes two reviews as standard. This is usually more than sufficient. Additional reviews may be charged separately if needed, so it is recommend you thoroughly check and comment on the document before returning it to the lawyer.

eSigning is when a document is executed by collecting an electronic signature from a party to make it legally binding, instead of printing and signing on paper. This is achieved by using a third-party service such as HelloSign that will send a link to the email of each party required to sign the document. The recipient will then follow the link and sign the document using their computer or mobile device. The system will record when they viewed and signed the document as well as from which IP Address. We recommend all our documents be signed electronically, and will manage the process for each tailored document with which eSigning is included.

Mode.law offers document automation services in addition to our tailoring services. If a tailored document is intended to be used repeatedly, mode.law can create a reusable form within your mode.law account. The form can be used to generate new documents based on your tailored template. The form will complete the main variable information that will differ such as (for example) new counter parties, purchase orders or statements of work. This speeds up your business processes, and makes things efficient to tailor when you need a few additional changes. Fees for document automation can be quoted during a consultation.