Business Assets · Intellectual property · Component
The ownership evidence
The documents that establish who actually owns what — contractor assignments above all, which are where ownership most often fails.
The deliverable
What it is
Ownership is assumed until it is examined, which typically happens during a sale, an investment or a dispute — three moments when a gap is expensive.
Employees usually assign work automatically under employment terms; contractors usually do not. That distinction accounts for most ownership problems.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The contractor position
What was agreed with each external contributor about ownership.
3 attributes: Contractor · Assignment status · Work covered
LearnThe gaps
Where the chain is broken or unclear, with an assessment of how much it matters.
3 attributes: Asset · Nature of gap · Priority
Learn
Fix ownership gaps before the counterparty knows you need them fixed. The price changes considerably at that point.
The other components in intellectual property
The IP schedule
Every significant intangible with a rights position — what it is, what protection it carries, and where it is registered.
LearnThe licence obligations
What the organisation is bound by through what it has built on — third-party terms that follow the product wherever it goes.
Learn