With a single inventor or author, there is usually no dispute about who owns intellectual property rights. However, with joint developments, the questions become more complex. This is especially true when co-developers have been equally involved in all phases of the project – rather than adopting a division of labor approach. Joint developments and joint ventures spell out which collaborator owns which rights – along with determining the rights for licensing and assignment to third parties. Such agreements allow co-developers to move ahead with joint projects with the confidence that all parties will achieve equitable benefit from their efforts and any resources they lend to the project. These agreements also specify the assignment of intellectual property rights if and when the joint design project comes to a close, whether by design or by unresolved dispute.

Collaborative agreements frequently require sharing information between entities that would otherwise be competitors. Nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements provide legal protection for the company or individual who owns the intellectual property in question. No company can ever ensure that it keeps its employees loyal.  Nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements can also be drawn up for present and departing employees and contractors as well.

Many noncompete agreements involving prohibitions against sharing trade secrets revealed during product commercialization focus on intellectual property infringement. Peacock Law is equipped to draft such agreements for our clients, and pursue remedies when they are violated, either through mediation, binding arbitration, or by going to trial.