Khurana & Khurana

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.

Copyright Ownership in Employment and Freelance Contracts: Key Legal Insights

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