Investors and acquirers want proof the company owns what it sells. We review assignments, registrations, open-source use and third-party claims, then fix the gaps we find. You go into diligence with answers ready instead of a list of surprises.
At a glance
- Practice
- IP
- Pricing
- Flat fee, quoted before we start
- Included
- 7 deliverables
- Process
- 3 steps, one named attorney
- Where we work
- Slack, email or a call
When founders call us
The moments that usually bring a company to us for this work.
- 01
A lead investor's counsel just sent an IP diligence request list
- 02
You are negotiating an acquisition and the buyer wants IP reps and warranties
- 03
A founder or early contractor never signed an invention assignment
- 04
You are acquiring a smaller company or its codebase and need to know what you are buying
What you get
Scoped in writing before we start. One flat fee for all of it.
- Review of founder, employee and contractor invention assignment agreements
- Chain-of-title check on patents, trademarks and domains, including recorded assignments
- Open-source license review focused on copyleft exposure in shipped code
- Review of inbound licenses, university or former-employer claims and liens on IP
- Gap report ranked by severity with recommended fixes
- Corrective assignments and confirmatory agreements to close the gaps
- Draft responses for the IP section of the disclosure schedule
How it works
- 1
Document collection
We send a short checklist and gather agreements, filings and an open-source inventory.
- 2
Review and report
We trace ownership of each key asset and rank every gap by how much it matters to a deal.
- 3
Cleanup
We prepare the fixes, get them signed and update your data room.
Mistakes we help you avoid
The ones we see most often, and catch before they cost you.
- Avoided
A departed founder or contractor still holding rights to early code
- Avoided
Copyleft-licensed code combined into a distributed product without a compliance plan
- Avoided
Patents or trademarks still recorded in a founder's personal name
- Avoided
Overbroad IP representations in a term sheet or purchase agreement that the company cannot back up
IP Diligence for Financings & M&A: questions founders ask
It is the review an investor or buyer runs to confirm that the company owns or properly licenses the IP it relies on. It usually covers assignments, registrations, open-source use, licenses and any disputes. Gaps can delay closing or lead to special indemnities in the deal documents.
The founder may still own work they created before or outside an assignment, depending on the facts. The usual fix is a confirmatory assignment signed now. If the person has left or is uncooperative, the fix gets harder, which is why it is best handled before a deal.
Usually not, since nearly every company uses it. Diligence focuses on licenses with copyleft terms, how that code is combined with your own, and whether you distribute it. Most issues can be resolved by documenting usage and replacing or isolating problem components.
It helps. Running the review ahead of a raise means you control the timing of fixes instead of handling them under closing pressure. It also lets you give accurate disclosure schedules from the start.
Get a flat-fee quote for IP Diligence for Financings & M&A.
A short call with an attorney. You leave with a written scope and one fixed price.
Book a call