According to Copyright Law, the developer owns the code in the very moment it is “fixed in tangible form.” In other words, you own the copyright as soon as you press “Save,” even if you haven’t released anything yet. This is also counts, of course, for the design and creative content that goes on the app. In the vast majority of cases, you will also use the work of others to build your app. This is what the Technology Assignment Agreement is for.
Working with others; there’s a contract for that. If you’re using contractors to build any part your app, you need a document that goes by many names: Independent Contractor Agreement, Work for Hire agreement, or even Contract for Mobile Application Development Services. If you are a freelance developer, you can expect that your clients will always want to sign a work for hire agreement, as they want to be the full owners of the app source code as soon as possible.
Very frequently called “service agreement” or some variation of it, this contract is radically different from the one above in the IP provisions; the copyright is not automatically assigned, but instead it is licensed to the client or commissioner for a fee (fixed or periodical). Licensing allows freelance developers to customize their offering in great length. Most of the time your best bet is a good compromise between licensing and work for hire.
Working with others; there’s a contract for that. If you’re using contractors to build any part your app, you need a document that goes by many names: Independent Contractor Agreement, Work for Hire agreement, or even Contract for Mobile Application Development Services. If you are a freelance developer, you can expect that your clients will always want to sign a work for hire agreement, as they want to be the full owners of the app source code as soon as possible.
Tell us about your project
and we will reach out to you to discuss specifics ?
Request free consultation
Please fill the form below and one of our technical associate will get in touch with you shortly.
