IP Assignment Agreement

An intellectual property assignment agreement moves the ownership of something a person created, such as a piece of software, a set of illustrations, a design or an invention, to the person or company that will use it. It matters most when a freelancer, an agency or a founder creates something for a business. Unless a law or a contract moves the rights, the creator usually keeps them, and the business holds only the right to use what it paid for.

This template starts with a schedule. You list each work, program, invention or design with its reference and the country or office where it is registered. The clauses then say what is assigned, when the rights pass (when both sign, or only once the creator has been paid), what happens to rights that cannot be assigned, an optional credit for the creator, an optional right to show the work in a portfolio, the payment, the creator's duty to sign further papers, and the statements the creator makes about owning the work.

The law on assigning rights differs between countries more than almost anything else in a contract. In the United States and the United Kingdom an assignment must be in a signed writing. In Korea and Japan the right to adapt a work stays with the author unless the contract names it. In Germany copyright itself cannot be assigned, only rights of use. The country selector swaps in wording for each, and the notes point to the registration steps. It is a starting point, not legal advice.

• A freelancer, agency or contractor has finished work for you and you want to own it, not just use it.
• A founder is putting code, designs or an invention into the company they started.
• You are buying an invention or a design and want the transfer in writing before you file in your own name.
• A collaborator leaves and the rights to what they made should be confirmed.

1. Choose the country whose law governs the agreement; the clauses on assignment and moral rights change with it.
2. Enter the creator or owner (the assignor) and the receiver (the assignee, filled from your saved details).
3. List every work, program, invention or design on its own line, with a reference and the country or office.
4. Decide when the rights pass and how the creator is paid, and tick credit, portfolio use or later improvements if they apply.
5. Check the governing law and courts, then print the agreement and have both sides sign.
6. Where the country asks for it, register or record the assignment with the competent office.

• Describing the assigned items as "all work done so far", so that nobody can tell later what was included.
• Using one country's wording where another country's law applies, for example leaving out the adaptation right in Korea or Japan.
• Letting the rights pass on signing when the creator wants to be paid first, or the reverse.
• Forgetting that employees, co-authors or a former employer may have rights in the work.
• Not registering an assignment where registration decides whether it works against later buyers.
• Mixing up an assignment with a license: if the creator should keep ownership, a license is the right tool.

1. Fill in
2. Check the preview
3. Save as PDF, Word or Excel

Pick the country you need. Each version uses the wording and layout commonly found there; a version marked “check with local advice” should be read by someone who knows the local rules before it is used.

• International (XX): Written in English, Korean, Japanese, German
• United States (US): Written in English – check with local advice
• United Kingdom (GB): Written in English – check with local advice
• Korea (KR): Written in Korean, English – check with local advice
• Japan (JP): Written in Japanese, English – check with local advice
• Germany (DE): Written in German, English – check with local advice