Answer
Who owns the tool you build?
You do. After payment you own the bespoke tool, your data and your production accounts, with the copyright assignment in writing. We keep our reusable methods, templates and general components.
What you own
Three things belong to you once the Build is paid for:
- The bespoke tool. The copyright in what was built for your workflow is assigned to you in writing.
- Your data. It was yours before the engagement and stays yours during and after it.
- Your production accounts. The tool runs in accounts that belong to you, not to us.
What we keep are the reusable methods, templates and general components we bring to every engagement. Those are how we work, not what we built for you.
Why it is set up this way
A software company sells one product to many customers and asks each to adapt to it. We build for one company, in the shape that company's crew already works, so it makes sense for that company to own the result.
Ownership only means something if you can actually run what you own. That is why every Build includes a handover pack with the architecture, a runbook, a credentials inventory, a data map and the list of models and providers used, updated on every release. A future hire, another firm or your own team can pick it up from there.
Before signing with any vendor, ask the same question: who owns the code, the data and the accounts, and is it in writing? More on how the engagement works is on how we work.
Questions people ask
Is the ownership transfer in writing?
Yes. The copyright assignment for the bespoke tool is written into the agreement and takes effect after payment.
What does the firm keep?
Our reusable methods, templates and general components. Everything built specifically for your workflow is yours.
Could someone else run the tool later?
Yes. Every Build ships with a handover pack written so someone else can run it: architecture, runbook, credentials inventory, data map, and the list of models and providers used.