📄 Article
✓ Link checked
Free
Beginner
Why we picked it
A plain founder-level explainer from a top startup law firm on why the person who writes the code owns it by default, and what it takes to move that ownership to your company. It covers founders, employees, and contractors in one place so you see where the gaps usually open. A good first read before you talk to any lawyer.
From
WilmerHale Launch
by WilmerHale
- The creator owns the work unless a written agreement says otherwise.
- Every contributor to the product needs a signed assignment, no exceptions.
- Investors check your IP chain of title during due diligence.
Open
launch.wilmerhale.com →
📄 Article
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Free
Advanced
Why we picked it
A lawyer's note on the exact wording that actually transfers code ownership in a development agreement. It is short and specific about why 'will assign' is weaker than 'hereby assigns'. Read it before you sign so your IP clause holds up.
From
Willcox Savage
by Joseph B. Allen
- The precise assignment wording decides who owns the code.
- 'Hereby assigns' now beats a promise to assign later.
- Get the ownership language reviewed before final payment.
Open
willcoxsavage.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked
Free
Beginner
Why we picked it
A clear walk-through of what an IP assignment agreement is and how ownership moves from a person to the company, covering copyrights, patents, and trade secrets. It is written for founders, not lawyers, so it is a fast way to understand the mechanics before you sign anything. Useful for framing what you actually need from a contractor.
From
Stripe
by Stripe
- Copyright assignment covers the code, patent assignment covers inventions.
- The company, not the individual, must hold the rights.
- A written, signed instrument is what makes the transfer real.
Open
stripe.com →
📄 Article
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Free
Intermediate
Why we picked it
Atlas built this guide with Orrick, and its blunt advice is to get signed IP assignments from everyone who touches the company, including a freelancer brought in for a single day. It explains the real risk: a contractor later claiming you infringe their IP and forcing you to pay or shut down. Read the IP and contractor sections closely.
From
Stripe Atlas
by Stripe Atlas with Orrick
- Get an IP assignment from everyone, even one-day freelancers.
- An unassigned contributor can later claim infringement against you.
- Your own pre-incorporation work also needs assigning to the company.
Open
stripe.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked
Free
Intermediate
Why we picked it
The most practical piece on this list: it tells you to own the repository from day one, set up GitHub in your business name, and add the developer as a collaborator rather than the reverse. It compares this free approach against expensive escrow and shows why direct access beats insurance. Exactly the operational habit that protects you if a developer disappears.
From
Captain Pragmatic
by Captain Pragmatic
- Create the repo and cloud accounts in your name, add the dev as collaborator.
- Require the developer to work in your repo, not their personal account.
- Verify your access on a schedule so you are never locked out.
Open
captainpragmatic.com →
📄 Article
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Free
Beginner
Why we picked it
A free companion to Nolo's book that lays out the two tools you need: a work-for-hire clause where it applies, and an assignment clause for everything else. It is short and specific to works made by contractors, which is exactly your situation with a freelance developer. A good sanity check on any contract you are handed.
From
Nolo
by Nolo
- Use assignment language, not just a work-for-hire label.
- Contractors keep ownership by default unless they sign it over.
- Cover both copyright and any patentable inventions.
Open
nolo.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked
Free
Intermediate
Why we picked it
Explains that without a written assignment, the agency, not you, may own the code you paid for. It covers present tense assignment language and why a work for hire label alone is not enough for contractors. A fair milestone contract is worthless if you do not end up owning the result.
From
Horizon Labs
by Horizon Labs
- Payment alone does not transfer code ownership to you.
- Insist on a present assignment of all IP in writing.
- Confirm you can hand the code to another developer later.
Open
horizon-labs.co →
📄 Article
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Free
Beginner
Why we picked it
A concise lawyer's post on the single most common and most avoidable legal mistake early startups make: never securing clear IP ownership from contributors. It connects the dots to real consequences, delayed financings and collapsed acquisitions. A useful wake-up call if you have been putting the paperwork off.
From
The IP Law Blog
by Jeffrey Pietsch, Weintraub Tobin
- Unclear IP ownership has killed financings and acquisitions.
- Every founder, employee, and contractor must sign an assignment.
- It is one of the most avoidable legal mistakes at the early stage.
Open
theiplawblog.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked
Free
Beginner
Why we picked it
Y Combinator's own primer on the legal machinery of a startup, including why everyone must assign IP to the company or there is nothing of value to fund. It is short, opinionated, and reflects what YC actually requires of its founders. Read it to understand the standard investors will hold you to.
From
Y Combinator Startup Library
by Y Combinator
- If the company does not own the IP, the company has no value.
- IP assignment is expected of founders, employees, and contractors.
- Investors verify assignments during due diligence.
Open
ycombinator.com →
📄 Article
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Free
Advanced
Why we picked it
A corporate-counsel reference on why the work-for-hire doctrine frequently does not cover software, and how to structure assignments so ownership is airtight. It is more technical, aimed at people drafting the actual contract, so bring it to your lawyer or use it to vet a template. Advanced but authoritative.
From
Association of Corporate Counsel
by Christopher T. Varas, Association of Corporate Counsel
- Software rarely fits the nine statutory work-for-hire categories.
- A present assignment is the reliable path to ownership.
- Copyright transfer does not carry patent rights with it.
Open
acc.com →
📄 Article
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Free
Advanced
Why we picked it
The Supreme Court case that turned on two words, and this article explains why "hereby assigns" beat "agrees to assign" and cost an institution its rights. It is the clearest real-world proof that the exact wording of your assignment clause matters. Read it so you never sign the weaker phrasing.
From
The National Law Review
by Kevin W. McCabe, The National Law Review
- "Agrees to assign" is only a future promise you may have to enforce.
- "Hereby assigns" transfers rights at the moment of creation.
- Precise contract wording decided who owned the invention.
Open
natlawreview.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked
India
Free
Beginner
Why we picked it
This lays out the one fact most first-time founders get wrong: under Indian copyright law your freelancer owns the code they write unless they assign it to you in writing, so no clause means no ownership. It walks through the exact assignment language you need and a smart safeguard of tying the transfer to full payment. It is written for the Indian legal context, not lifted from a US template, which is why it fits a founder here better than the generic explainers.
From
iPleaders (blog.ipleaders.in)
by iPleaders
~20 min read
- By default in India the freelancer, as author, owns the copyright in the code; without a signed written assignment you get only a limited licence, not ownership.
- The contract needs an explicit IP assignment (or work-for-hire) clause; a handshake or an invoice does not transfer ownership.
- Tying the IP transfer to full payment protects both sides and gives you a clean, enforceable chain of ownership.
Open
blog.ipleaders.in →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked
India
Free
Beginner
Why we picked it
This is the plain-English India explainer that maps exactly to your problem: it walks through Section 17(c) (employees vest in the employer, freelancers do not) and Sections 18-19 (a valid assignment must be written, signed, and specify rights, duration, and territory), then spells out that without it a freelancer gives you only an implied license. Written by a working Indian IP firm, it closes with the investment angle, ambiguous ownership chains delaying diligence and cutting valuation, which is the exact reason to fix this before your round.
From
Khurana & Khurana
by Khurana & Khurana, Advocates and IP Attorneys
10 min read
- Under Section 17(c) employee works vest in the employer by default, but freelancers and contractors retain copyright unless a written assignment says otherwise, and payment alone does not transfer it
- A valid assignment under Sections 18-19 must be in writing, signed by the freelancer, and specify the rights, duration, and geographical scope, else you hold only an implied license
- Moral rights (Section 57) stay with the author even after economic rights transfer, and a clean copyright chain is what due diligence, mergers, and acquisitions scrutinize
Open
khuranaandkhurana.com →
📄 Article
Free
Intermediate
Why we picked it
Cooley is the law firm behind a huge share of venture-backed startups, and this short piece tells you exactly why your company owns nothing a contractor builds unless the agreement assigns the IP to you. It walks through the specific clauses a contractor agreement needs so the code, designs, and everything else become yours. You get a lawyer's checklist without paying for the meeting.
From
Cooley GO
by Cooley LLP
- Without a signed IP assignment, a contractor can resell your code to a competitor.
- Payment alone does not transfer ownership of what a contractor creates.
- The agreement should be signed before work starts, not patched in later.
Open
cooleygo.com →
Why we picked it
If your developer sits in France, Germany, the UK, or the US, this guide explains how code ownership actually works in each, and why a clause that is fine in one country can fail in another. It is more advanced, but useful the moment you hire across borders, which is common for Indian founders working with global talent. Skim the country that matches your contractor.
From
Orrick
by Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
- IP assignment rules differ sharply by country.
- Some jurisdictions give developers moral rights you cannot fully assign away.
- A single global template can leave gaps in specific countries.
Open
orrick.com →
Why we picked it
A working handbook with ready-to-use contractor agreements and sample IP assignment language, including a version written for the hiring business. Each chapter explains the clause before handing you the text, so you learn why each line matters. Worth owning if you hire contractors regularly and want to stop reinventing the contract.
From
Nolo
by Stephen Fishman
- Includes business-side contractor agreements with IP assignment clauses.
- Explains confidentiality, scope, and ownership in plain language.
- Recent editions address contractors' use of AI tools.
Open
store.nolo.com →
