The Importance of Intellectual Property

I spent most of the week working on one project which is a bit of a flagship one for us and developed for a local client. This includes a website and a mobile app which we are now developing as stage 2 of the project. The initial work was begun to "help out" the project when it was struggling to move forward and most of the work on the web application has, in reality, been done for very little payment. I'm not saying we haven't been paid at all just that it was done at a reduced rate due to the nature of the project plus our costs became significantly greater than planned.

Why was that?

It's a great project to be involved in but there are limits to what we will do for reduced rates, after all there's wages and rent to pay. It also became clear that once completed there would certainly be potential for the commercialisation of the project. So as it progressed we became acutely aware that we needed to protect our commercial interests should the web application, and now the mobile app, be of interest to other parties and advertisers.

The solution, use an IP lawyer. We didn't have to search too much as IP Contracts Solutions occupy the office next door to us. So we have a contract in place that asserts our ownership of the applications, the licensing fees payable to us annually, the sell on terms and obliging the clients to use us for any future developments.

Your average website doesn't work like this, that's more of a case of pay an amount up-front, maybe some interim payment and  final payment on completion and at that point the client takes ownership. In this case we have done a lot of unpaid work to get the project off the ground and expect the benefits of that should it get sold on - and there is already interest pre-launch. So my top tip - get an IP Lawyer you can work with, and I highly recommend IP Contract Solutions.

So what is this application? I can't say at the moment but phase 1 is rolling out with our client getting other organisations involved in it. Stage 2 is the public launch which should be at the end of April and we are told there may be involvement of Middlesbrough FC alongside us and our client.

But you'll have to wait for more details.