IP, Technology and Confidentiality
Making sure what your business builds, buys and shares stays yours.
The IP Problem Most Businesses Don't Know They Have
Growing businesses rarely lose IP to theft. More often they never properly owned it in the first place.
- Code written by a contractor with no written assignment.
- Designs from an agency whose terms keep the rights.
- Work a founder did before the company existed, never formally transferred.
- Confidential information shared in a pitch with nothing in writing.
None of this causes a problem until an investor, a buyer or a competitor looks closely. By then it's harder, and more expensive, to fix.
What I Help With
IP ownership.
Assignments from founders, employees, contractors and agencies, so the business owns what it paid for.
Technology agreements.
Software development, SaaS, licensing, cloud and hosting, and IT procurement. See commercial contracts.
Licensing.
Licensing IP in or out on terms that protect its value.
Confidentiality and NDAs.
One-way and mutual NDAs, and the confidentiality terms inside your wider contracts.
Brand protection.
Advice on protecting your brand in your contracts and in how you trade.
Third-party claims.
Making sure you're protected if using a supplier's product or service leads to an infringement claim against you.
Generative AI.
Who owns AI-assisted work, and what should and shouldn't go into AI tools. More on AI governance.
Before a Raise or a Sale
Investors and buyers will ask who owns your IP and what you've promised to whom. A review ahead of time finds the gaps, and fixes them, before their lawyers do. It's a fixed-fee piece of work, and a good place to start if you're not sure where you stand.
What I Refer Out
Patent applications, trade mark filing and IP litigation are specialist areas. If you need them, I'll tell you and recommend the right specialist. The full detail on what CHORD does and doesn't do is on How CHORD Works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we automatically own work done for us by freelancers or agencies?
Usually not. Under UK law, the copyright in work created by a freelancer or agency generally stays with them unless there's a written assignment to you. Work created by employees in the course of their job usually belongs to the employer, but clear contract terms still avoid arguments later.
Do I need an NDA before a pitch or investor meeting?
For conversations with potential customers, partners and suppliers, an NDA is usually sensible. Many investors won't sign one, so with investors the protection comes from controlling what you share and when.
What's the difference between an IP assignment and a licence?
An assignment transfers ownership outright. A licence gives permission to use the IP on agreed terms while ownership stays where it is. Which one you need depends on whether you need to own the IP or just use it.
Can you register our trade mark?
I can advise on whether and what to protect. The filing itself is best handled by a trade mark attorney, and I'll recommend one.
Who owns content created with AI tools?
It's an unsettled area. In practice the answer depends heavily on the tool's terms of use and how much human input went into the work, so the contracts matter more than usual.
Not Sure What Your Business Actually Owns?
Based in Warwickshire, working with clients nationally.
Call: +44 7783 534486 · Email: cam@chord.legal · Connect on LinkedIn →
“CHORD” and “Chord Legal” are trading names of CHORD Legal Limited, registered in England and Wales, company number 14820174. Registered office: 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. Cam Gow is a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (“SRA”) (SRA ID 453794). CHORD Legal Limited is not authorised or regulated by the SRA. This is a structure the SRA's rules expressly permit.
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