When you build a mobile app, you’re building an asset for your business. But who owns the intellectual property behind that asset? Because thanks to licenses and subscriptions, this isn’t always clear. Almost every app out there will have at least some part of licenced. So, it’s important that you have a conversation about ownership at the very beginning of development. You need to understand which parts of the app are yours and which aren’t. Having this conversation early-on saves you from any nasty surprises down-the-line.
In this video insight, our MD Paul Jarrett explores who owns what at the end of the app development process. Watch the video here or read the full transcript below. Explore other useful insights on the Sonin YouTube channel.
Intellectual Property of Mobile Apps
Full transcript of ‘Who owns my app?’
One of the key things to consider when you’re developing your app is who it is that’s going to own the intellectual property at the end of it. No matter what it is that you’re doing with your app, you’re building an asset for your business. And therefore you should ensure that at the end of the project it is you that owns that intellectual property.
There are various different ways that agencies and companies will deal with this. Some people will license things. Potentially, if you’re using something like a back-end as a service, then you’ll never own that IP. It’s very important from the offset to understand what it is that’s being created for you. And what it is that will be transferred to you at the end of the project. And what it is that will either be licensed to you. Or will never be yours because you’re purely using a subscription basis.
Typically speaking, almost every app out there will probably have some part of the code that will be licensed through a resource agreement or something similar. But having those conversations early on means that you won’t get any nasty surprises later.
What’s next?
If you have a specific question about the ownership of your app or intellectual property in app development, email us at info@sonin.agency.
Suggested reading: Secret to a Successful Business App