Sales & Delivery
Your Code & IP Agreement! 💻
When we build awesome software for you, you might wonder: who actually owns it, and do I get the source code? Great question! The simple answer is that it completely depends on our plan! Sometimes we give you absolutely everything, and other times you just rent the software. This guide makes both options super clear so there are never any surprises!
This fun document works with our main Terms of Service. Your specific project plan will clearly state which of the exciting options below applies to you!
1. Why we have this agreement
Knowing who owns your software is incredibly important! The last thing we want is confusion after your awesome project is finished. That's why we make it crystal clear right from the start! Your project plan will literally spell out if you own everything or if you're just licensing it, and this page explains exactly what those choices mean in simple English!
2. Some super simple definitions
- Background IP
- The cool tools and knowledge we already had before we met, plus your awesome brand, content, and existing systems!
- Foreground IP
- The brand new, amazing things we build specifically for you during our incredible project together!
- Source Code
- The actual readable code behind your software, plus the clear instructions on how to run and keep it working beautifully!
- Deliverables
- Absolutely everything we give to you at the end of the project! Depending on our plan, this might include the full source code!
3. Your stuff is always yours!
Anything you share with us—like your amazing brand, pictures, words, and data—stays completely, 100% yours! We only use it to make your project shine, and we will never try to own it.
4. Owning the new things we build
Once your final invoice is completely paid, the new things we built for you are handled exactly as we agreed! Until that payment is happily made, Linkysoft keeps the rights (check out section 9). As soon as you pay, your chosen plan kicks right into action!
5. Our two great plans: Transfer or Licence
Every amazing project we do uses one of these super fun paths, which we will agree on beforehand:
Full transfer (You get the source code!)
We hand over the full rights and the actual source code to you! It becomes entirely yours to run, change, and grow—either with us or anyone else you like! This is absolutely fantastic if you want total freedom and control over your new software.
Licence (We own it, you use it!)
We keep the ownership, but we give you a rock-solid license to use the software for your amazing business! The details of how you can use it will be clearly in your project plan. This is perfect if you are building on top of our existing products, or if we're going to be happily running it for you long-term!
6. Using our existing tools
Even if you choose the Full Transfer, we still keep the rights to our "Background IP"—these are the handy internal tools and code libraries we lovingly use on lots of projects! If we use them in your software, you get a permanent, free license to use them as part of your project. You just don't own those specific tools exclusively, since we need them to help other awesome clients too!
7. Third-party and open-source tools
All great modern software uses some amazing external open-source tools, and yours will too! Those parts keep their original licenses, and we can't transfer ownership of them to you. We'll always let you know what they are and what their rules are, so you can feel totally confident using your new software!
8. What happens when we hand over the code!
If your plan includes the source code, we don't just send you a basic zip file! We give you the code in a totally professional setup, with all the instructions needed to run it perfectly. We'll even happily walk your amazing team through it step-by-step!
9. Before your final payment
Handing over ownership or licenses only happens after full payment! Until your final invoice is settled, we keep the rights to the work. Don't worry, we won't hold your amazing project hostage—just settle the bill and the rights are wonderfully all yours! It's just a simple way to protect our hard work.
10. Promises, updates, and saying hello!
We absolutely promise that the new work we do for you is our very own and won't step on anyone else's toes! We might update this friendly guide from time to time, and you can always check the "updated" date at the top. If you have any questions at all about ownership, licenses, or getting your code, just email us at [email protected] or drop us a friendly message on our contact page. We'd absolutely love to chat with you!