Intellectual Property
Ownership and protection for whatever your company actually built. Azure Legal handles IP assignment at formation, trademark clearance and prosecution as the brand grows, and the diligence work that makes an acquirer's IP review go quickly, so it doesn't turn into a re-negotiation.
The most common IP problem is a gap in the company's own chain of title. A contractor who never signed an assignment, a co-founder who built the first version before the company existed, or a name that was never cleared before the brand grew around it: each of these tends to surface during diligence, exactly when there's the least time to fix it. Clean IP hygiene from the start is what keeps that diligence review from turning into a negotiation.
Who This Is For
- Founders assigning IP from themselves, co-founders, or early contractors
- Companies clearing a name or building out a trademark portfolio
- Sellers preparing for an acquirer's IP diligence review
What We Handle
- Founder & contractor IP assignment at incorporation
- IP diligence readiness review ahead of a raise
- Trademark portfolio expansion & prosecution
- Trademark & copyright renewal tracking
- IP diligence for the acquirer's counsel
Common Agreements & Documents
- IP Assignment Agreement
- IP Diligence Summary
- Trademark Application (USPTO)
- IP Portfolio & Renewal Docket
- IP Representations & Warranties (merger agreement)
How We Work
IP matters are billed flat-fee per deliverable: an assignment agreement, a diligence readiness review, a trademark application. That lets a founder get a chain-of-title cleanup done without an open-ended hourly clock. You work directly with the attorney doing the review, and turnaround on routine filings tends to be fast as a result.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if a co-founder or early contractor never signed an assignment?
This comes up often, and it's fixable in most cases with a retroactive assignment agreement. The sooner it's addressed, the simpler that conversation is, especially if the person in question is no longer involved with the company. We'll walk through the specific situation before recommending an approach.
Do we need a registered trademark, or is common-law use enough?
Common-law rights exist the moment you use a name in commerce, but they're geographically limited and harder to enforce than a federal registration. Whether registration is worth doing now versus later usually comes down to how much the brand matters to the business and whether there's a financing or acquisition on the horizon that will put it under scrutiny.
How far in advance of a raise or sale should we clean up IP?
As early as possible. Diligence reviewers look at the full history of who contributed IP and whether it was properly assigned, not just the current state. A gap found during an active deal takes time to resolve and can affect timing or terms; the same gap found six months earlier is usually a quick fix.
Assigning IP, clearing a trademark, or prepping for diligence? Book a 30-minute call to talk through where you are.
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