Article

Code Ownership and IP Assignment for Contractors: 2026 Guide

Horizon Labs Free Intermediate

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.

  • 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 on horizon-labs.co ↗

It answers 2 questions

  1. What's a fair way to structure a milestone-based contract with a dev agency?
  2. How do I make sure I actually own the code my freelancer writes?

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