Who owns the code?
In many places the person who writes it owns it until a document says otherwise.
By Priya Lindqvist, 22 Jan 2026. 5 minute read. IP and open source. Fictional author and date.
It is natural to assume that if the company paid for the code, the company owns it. Often that is not automatic. The rules depend on the country and on whether the author was an employee or a contractor.
The usual fix is an : a signed document that moves ownership to the company. Get one from every founder, employee and contractor who wrote anything, ideally on their first day.
“Paid for is not the same as owned.”
Next, keep a simple record of what your product is made of. Much of it will carry an . Some licences ask only for credit. Others, called , can require you to share your own code if you distribute it combined with theirs.
A one-page list of the main components, their licences and who approved them will save weeks during a financing or a sale.
What this does not cover. This article does not cover patents, or what applies to your product. It is not advice.
Terms used in this article
- IP assignment. A signed document that moves ownership of what someone created to the company.
- Open-source licence. The conditions under which anyone may use, change and share code.
- Copyleft. A kind of open-source licence that requires you to share your own code under the same terms if you distribute it together with the licensed code.