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Your contractors write the code. But who owns it?

When your team is distributed across borders, intellectual property doesn’t transfer itself. Kleos builds IP assignment into every contract — so the code, designs, and ideas your contractors create are legally yours. No gaps. No guesswork

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You’re paying for the work. But you might not own it

These aren’t edge cases. They’re the default when you hire contractors internationally without an IP framework

The “cascade” nobody explained — Your developer works through an umbrella in the UAE. They wrote your core logic. But there’s no direct contract — and no clear paper trail showing how IP passed from the individual to the intermediary to you.

Invoice says “Software development” — that’s it — No task breakdown, no Jira references, no mention of IP transfer. Your accountant can’t put it on the balance sheet as an intangible asset. The work happened. The proof didn’t.

Your code lives on someone else’s GitHub — The contractor pushed your module to a public repo. The NDA was signed with the intermediary, not with them. There’s nothing legally binding the person who saw your source code.

“Show us the IP chain” — You’re raising a Series A. The fund’s lawyers trace your product back to 14 contractors across 6 countries — and find zero IP assignment agreements. The term sheet is suddenly conditional.

What if IP transfer was infrastructure, not paperwork?

The companies that lose IP don’t lose it in court. They lose it in the gap between “we have a contract” and “the contract actually assigns rights.” Every contractor engagement should have a clear, auditable chain: the person who wrote the code assigns rights to the legal entity that contracted them, and that entity assigns rights to you. Not as an afterthought. As architecture. That’s what Kleos builds into every engagement by default.

That's what

does.

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Your code. Your rights. Your balance sheet

Step 1

We structure the IP chain

Every contractor signs an agreement with Kleos that includes full IP assignment — covering code, designs, models, and any work product. Rights transfer from contractor to Kleos automatically. No manual addendums, no per-task paperwork.

Step 2

Rights cascade to you

Your Master Service Agreement with Kleos mirrors the contractor’s IP assignment. Rights flow from contractor → Kleos → your company. The chain is airtight, auditable, and designed for due diligence.

Step 3

Documents your CFO will love

Every invoice comes with detailed descriptions tied to actual deliverables — not generic “development services.” Ready for intangible asset recognition, tax reporting, and investor scrutiny.

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Built for companies where IP is the product

Contractor → Kleos → You. Full assignment chain built into every contract. No gaps for due diligence to find.

Cascade IP transfer

Invoices reference specific deliverables, not “services.” Ready for balance sheet recognition as intangible assets.

Detailed closing documents

Sign NDAs directly with your contractors — separate from the financial relationship. We’ll guide you through the structure.

NDA & Non-compete support

Documentation structured for your accountant to recognize IP on the balance sheet. Built for IFRS / IAS 38 intangible asset recognition.

Intangible asset ready

Contracts tailored per contractor’s location. IP clauses that hold up in UAE, US, EU, and 240+ other jurisdictions.

Jurisdiction-aware contracts

Attach Jira exports, GitHub links, or SOW documents to invoices. Your paper trail matches your actual workflow.

Works with your tools

Let’s talk about what happens without this

A GameDev studio raises $5M. Half their codebase was written by contractors in three countries. During due diligence, the investor’s legal team finds no IP assignment chain — just invoices saying “development services.” The round doesn’t collapse. It just gets repriced. 20% lower. Because the IP risk becomes the investor’s discount.

A SaaS company gets acquired. The buyer’s lawyers trace every line of code. Two contractors never signed IP agreements. The acquisition closes — but $800K goes into escrow “until the IP situation is resolved.” It never fully resolves.

This isn’t theoretical. This is what Kleos prevents — by making IP transfer structural, not something you remember to add later.

That's what

does.

Three ways to handle contractor IP. Two of them are risky

Choose wisely

IP assignment

Cascade transfer

Closing documents

NDA / Non-compete

Balance sheet ready

Setup time

DIY (manual contracts)

IP assignment

You draft it (and hope it holds)

Cascade transfer

Your lawyer’s problem

Closing documents

Generic invoices

NDA / Non-compete

You handle separately

Balance sheet ready

Depends on your accountant

Setup time

Weeks of legal work

Competitors (Solar Staff, etc.)

IP assignment

Per-task manual assignment

Cascade transfer

Unclear chain

Closing documents

Basic invoices

NDA / Non-compete

Limited support

Balance sheet ready

Not structured for it

Setup time

Days + manual IP per task

Kleos

IP assignment

Built into every contract

Cascade transfer

Contractor → Kleos → You

Closing documents

Detailed, deliverable-linked

NDA / Non-compete

Direct contractor agreements supported

Balance sheet ready

IFRS / IAS 38 ready

Setup time

60 seconds

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Your contractors build your product. Make sure you own it

Book a 15-minute demo and see how Kleos handles IP transfer — cascade assignment, detailed documentation, and audit-ready contracts — so your code, your designs, and your ideas are legally yours.

Book a demo

Talk to a human first

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Solutions

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Industries

Pricing

Your contractors write the code. But who owns it?

You’re paying for the work. But you might not own it

What if IP transfer was infrastructure, not paperwork?

Your code. Your rights. Your balance sheet

Built for companies where IP is the product

Let’s talk about what happens without this

Three ways to handle contractor IP. Two of them are risky

Your contractors build your product. Make sure you own it