Intellectual Property

Template: IP Rights Sale Agreement: in chemical compound

Introduction to IP rights sales templates

What Net Lawman says about this template:

"This agreement records the sale of rights to use a pharmaceutical or chemical innovation – either a stand-alone product that will be sold directly under a brand, or one that is used in the production of some other product.

The product may be used for a single purpose, or have many applications in different industries. You can restrict the rights that the seller acquires in any way that maximises the value of the sale, whether that might be based on geographical usage, specific applications, time or something else.

For example, you might have developed a compound that you wish to use yourself in the manufacture of your goods, but there may be other applications in markets that you don’t sell into. Using this agreement, you might sell the rights to use it for a set period of time to a similar business in another part of the world.

The product might have an industrial usage, such as being a lubricant or a paint pigment, or it might have a bio-tech or pharmaceutical application.

The document allows for an initial payment to be made, with on-going royalties based on use. Either can be changed if not applicable. The licence terms are extensive so that you have a suitable, wide choice of options in this important area.

Although the licence terms clearly separate the interests of the parties, arrangements of this nature often require considerable ongoing co-operation relating to the subject matter. This agreement does not provide for the same type of support as would a software product, but it does provide for co-operation and help, paid or free. Because this co-operation may be essential, in this agreement neither party is favoured. We have included reasonable protection for both sides.

The agreement terminates on expiry of supporting patents or when generic versions available or as you wish."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

• promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;
• educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;
• promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;
• ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.

Template: IP Rights Sale Agreement: in invention or process

Introduction to IP rights sales templates

This is what Net Lawman says about this template:

"This agreement is for the sale of limited rights to a piece of intellectual property, whether an invention or a technological innovation or software.

It provides for a single and final payment for the purchase, and once sold, the buyer can use the IP in whatever way he or she wishes.

The nature of the IP being sold is not important to the suitability of this document for your use. It could be a stand-alone consumer product, a component in another product, a manufacturing process, software, or something that improves something else.

The product or device or invention could rely to some extent on other IP, which is used in other applications or which is not owned by the developer or inventor.

Therefore as well as an agreement for sale, this document includes optional terms for a licence or sub-licence of that other component IP.

The following are examples of situations in which it might be used.

A small computer game developer wishes to sell a complete console game to a larger one. Some of the code is sub-licensed from third parties, so the rights to those parts cannot be sold entirely. Additionally, the writer has developed functionality that he wishes to reuse in other games. Using this sale agreement, he can sell the rights to the game, limited to those that he owns and that he doesn't want to keep.

A navigation systems supplier wants to sell the IP in an unmanned aerial vehicle to a defence systems manufacturer. However, it also wants to keep ownership of parts of the platform that could be used in road vehicles."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

• promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;
• educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;
• promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;
• ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.

What Net Lawman says about its IP sales and assignment templates:

"The documents transfer your rights in intellectual property that you have created or otherwise own, to someone else. In legal jargon, these documents assign your rights. In everyday language, they deal with a sale.

The legal framework for a sale of rights is largely the same regardless of the type of IP being sold. A sale in a composition of music is not dissimilar from the transaction for the sale of a complex technological innovation.

These documents can be used to sell: a set of photos, a book, a film script, architectural drawings, chemical formulae, film rights, web page articles, a patent, or anything else.

The law does not restrict what sale terms you can agree. For that reason, we have been able to give you a very wide range of alternative deals and arrangements.

For example, payment might be cash up front, by royalty, by shares in the acquiring company or any combination.

It follows that when you look for the right document for your sale, look at the terms of the deal as well as the subject matter we have named in the title. If you need help, please ask us.

Who should use these documents?

Either the buyer or the seller could use these documents. They are written to be fair to both sides because even though the transfer is immediate, the buyer may still rely on the seller for co-operation with ongoing support.

Our guidance notes explain each paragraph so that editing a document is easy whether or not you regularly sell IP.

Strong legal documents

If we refer to a document as “simple” we mean it is uncluttered by supplementary arrangements – not that the legal effect is in any way compromised.

In contrast, a document described as “heavyweight” contains many more options. You may or may not use all the options we give but by providing them, we hope to give you more ideas for consideration. You can easily delete the ones that are not applicable to your deal.

Limiting the rights sold

All these documents give you the flexibility to sell the IP subject to conditions on use by the buyer.

For example, you could sell rights to a design for a component, but limit the buyer to use that component only in certain products."

What our documents cover

So far as applicable, our documents cover:

Fictitious names for people and products

We give fictitious names to the parties in the contract and the IP so that it is easier for you to follow the document. Of course, you will need to change these to the names of your own parties or products, or use generic ones.

Complete legal and commercial framework

Every agreement comprehensively provides the terms you need for a deal. We cannot mention every detail of every document here, but you can be confident that if you are likely to need a term, we include it.

Support by the owner or creator to the licensee

Many deals involve not only a sale, but also a licence of secondary IP that supports the primary IP sold. For example, you might sell a physical product that requires software to operate. Updates to the software would be licensed rather than sold with the hardware.

The reasons why you might want to licence some rights rather than sell all are the same as why you might want to limit the rights sold: you may want to retain control to maximise the value you receive; or you may not have the rights yourself to sell.

We provide in many of our documents for an additional licence to complement the sale. If not needed, these terms can easily be deleted.

Preserving moral rights

Although a creator automatically by law has the right to be recognised, we do nonetheless mention it in many agreements."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

• promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;
• educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;
• promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;
• ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.

Selling limited rights allows you to maximise the value the IP because you can sell the rights multiple times to different buyers for different uses.

The other reason you might want to limit the rights sold is because your IP contains the intellectual property under licence from someone else, and that you don’t have a licence to sell it.

Template: IP Rights Sale Agreement: in invention or process

Introduction to IP rights sales templates

What Net Lawman says about this template:

"This agreement is for the sale of limited rights to a piece of intellectual property, whether an invention or a technological innovation or software.

It provides for a single and final payment for the purchase, and once sold, the buyer can use the IP in whatever way he or she wishes.

The nature of the IP being sold is not important to the suitability of this document for your use. It could be a stand-alone consumer product, a component in another product, a manufacturing process, software, or something that improves something else.

The product or device or invention could rely to some extent on other IP, which is used in other applications or which is not owned by the developer or inventor.

Therefore as well as an agreement for sale, this document includes optional terms for a licence or sublicence of that other component IP.

The following are examples of situations in which it might be used.

A small computer game developer wishes to sell a complete console game to a larger one. Some of the code is sublicensed from third parties, so the rights to those parts cannot be sold entirely. Additionally, the writer has developed functionality that he wishes to reuse in other games. Using this sale agreement, he can sell the rights to the game, limited to those that he owns and that he doesn't want to keep.

A navigation systems supplier wants to sell the IP in an unmanned aerial vehicle to a defence systems manufacturer. However, it also wants to keep ownership of parts of the platform that could be used in road vehicles."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

• promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;
• educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;
• promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;
• ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.

Template: Assignment Agreement: of music copyright; sale plus royalty; limited territory

What Net Lawman says about this template:

"This agreement is for the sale of rights in music or choreographic work. It could be used by either the buyer or the seller. It covers protection for both in reasonable balance. Of course, you may edit out any paragraph that you think may overly favour your counter party.

The work could be of any size, complexity or for any purpose. For example, it could be:

• a jingle that a company wishes to use in multiple marketing campaigns to reinforce a brand

• a song that a production company wishes to incorporate in a West End musical

• music written specifically to accompany a short film made by the buyer

• a composition inherited by a family relative of the composer, who now wishes to sell

The agreement preserves the composer’s or originator’s rights to sell the same composition in different markets by limiting the extent of rights sold in this deal. You can restrict what is being sold by reference to use, publication, time, country, language, medium, or as you decide. It preserves moral rights as composer."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;

educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;

promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;

ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.

Template: IP rights sale agreement: in television, film or media production

What Net Lawman says about this template:

"This agreement could be put in place by either the seller or the buyer of an audio-visual work. It is a balanced contract that favours neither side by default.

The work could be in any medium for any purpose, for example:

• an audio track that will be used to accompany a display of historical artefacts

• a film shot using drones showing the aerial topography of a property that will be redeveloped

• video content that will be used as advertising for a local business

• a series of comedy shows recorded live that will be distributed online

• a script or a book to be converted to a script

• a plan for a reality TV series or entertainment show

The buyer might be a production company or a distributor or a commercial user.

The document gives the buyer control over the use, so the deal is a sale, and not a licence. However, since some of the IP might be sublicensed, and therefore not possible to sell, we also include an optional licence agreement for that work. For example, the work might include music that samples the work of another musician.

The transaction is likely to be for cash alone. We have, however, included terms that allow for it also to be in shares of the acquiring company if required.

You may also want the deal to be completed after the date of the contract – for example, once raw footage has been edited by the producer. The document allows for this.

Optionally, the sale can be limited, in that the work can only be used in certain ways. For example, you may sell the rights of ownership only in a certain language, or within certain geographical areas or for certain uses.

The agreement preserves the author’s or originator’s rights to sell the same work in different markets by limiting the extent of rights sold in this deal, as well as preserving moral rights for recognition of authorship."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

• promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;
• educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;
• promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;
• ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.

Template: IP Rights Sale Agreement: in invention or process: for cash and shares

Introduction to IP rights sales templates

What Net Lawman says about this template:

"This is a heavyweight agreement for sale of rights to an innovation, invention or piece of technology. The subject of the sale could be anything, tangible or intangible. It is likely to have more than one possible use in different industries or markets, which the creator or owner may want to exploit separately, and therefore the rights sold can therefore be limited to specific purposes.

For example, it might be:

• a library of legal documents
• a system for extracting liquids from inaccessible places
• software that adds functionality to a piece of hardware

The sale is full – the seller parts with certain rights forever. But that does not means that he or she cannot retain some or most of the total “basket” of rights, for use in other circumstances. We assume that this sale will be of rights in a particular industry sector or field. That leaves many opportunities to sell or use other rights in different sectors or countries.

This agreement covers whatever intellectual property rights you decide to sell and buy. The description and specification of these is up you.

We provide for a single and final payment in cash and shares in the acquiring company.

Once sold, the buyer can do what he or she likes with the IP, subject to the restrictions you have specified."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;

educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;

promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;

ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.

Template: Assignment Agreement: of music copyright or other IP; cash sale; seller retains right to buy back

Introduction to IP rights sales templates

What Net Lawman says about this template:

"This agreement has been drawn for a simple sale of copyright in intellectual property, using the the sale of a work of music as the basis. It could as easily be used for other IP such as lyrics or a stage play or a script.

It is drawn as a sale so that the buyer has freedom to use the work without the restrictions of licence terms.

However, optional provision has also been made for the writer, creator or composer to retain some rights. These could be any. Geographical territory or specific use would be the most common. If retained rights are more complicated, it would be better to use a licence agreement such as this one.

This agreement protects the interest of the seller without offending or prejudicing the buyer. It provides for a right of first refusal if the buyer decides to sell at a later date and a procedure to make that work fairly to both sides. Such a pre-emption right allows the seller to buy his or her work first, in preference to any other buyer.

The financial arrangement is a simple cash sale. Both sides are protected by reasonable warranties.

So that you can easily follow the effect of the document, we have given names to the parties and the subject matter."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

• promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;
• educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;
• promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;
• ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.

Read what Net Lawman says about these templates:

"These agreements protect intellectual property rights, combining non-disclosure by your employees, or your contractors and their staff with respect to current and future IP in your business, and automatic transfer of ownership to your business of any new IP created by them in the course of working for you."

Template: Intellectual Property Rights security agreement: contractor

What Net Lawman says about this template:

"This agreement protects the intellectual property of your business against theft or misuse by a contractor who works for you or with you in any capacity. Your IP could be anything, from customer data to product designs to a manufacturing process. Use this agreement to help prevent a contractor or his or her staff from stealing your intellectual property. This is not a contract for actual work. Rather it is more in the nature of a high level confidentiality agreement that includes provisions relating to ownership of created work."

Template: Intellectual Property Rights security agreement: employee

What Net Lawman says about this template:

"This agreement supplements an employment contract and gives additional protection to IP. It covers confidentiality, ownership of IP produced, and non-competition. This comprehensive agreement goes further than a standard employment contract in protecting sensitive workplace information and asserting the employer's rights to ownership of intellectual property. It can be used by a business in any industry. It effectively combines three types of document."

Detailed guidance notes are provided with each template. Net Lawman offers a money back guarantee if the document is not what you need, as well as a legal review option if you want some professional assistance when you are drawing up your documents.

Notice:

The documents menus are designed to describe the documents, but please be sure that you check them over carefully to ensure that they do meet your needs. All documents are subject to Net Lawman's Terms and Conditions, which we ask you to read before you purchase any documents.

We are pleased to be supported by Net Lawman.co.uk as a leading independent online provider of ready-to-use legal documents for business users.

Net Lawman is a founding member of the Association of Publishers of Online Legal Documents (APOD).

APOD exists to:

• promote the sale of online legal and business document templates;
• educate the public about the need for legal documents to protect their interests, and in the online availability of professionally written and affordable template contracts;
• promote and represent the interests of the Association and its members;
• ensure professional standards for customers and the public in accordance with the APOD Code of Practice.

We always welcome your feedback so please do let us know what else you would like to know about using this Form.