Who owns the code? Source code, designs and app store accounts when you hire a developer

Short answer: you should. Before you sign, make sure the contract assigns you the intellectual property in the code and designs once you have paid, and that the code repository, App Store, Google Play, cloud and domain accounts are in your company's name from day one, not the developer's.

What owning the code really means

Owning your software is more than a line in a contract. It has four parts:

• Rights: the contract transfers the intellectual property in the code and designs to you.
• Access: the code lives in a repository that your company controls, with its full history.
• Accounts: the store, cloud, payment and domain accounts are registered to your company.
• Knowledge: documentation and credentials good enough for another team to take over.

Miss any one of these and you can own the code on paper but still be stuck.

What to put in the contract

• Assignment of intellectual property in everything made for your project, on payment.
• Pre-existing tools. Developers often reuse their own libraries and templates. That is normal, but the contract should give you a permanent licence to use them in your product.
• Open-source components. A list of the main open-source libraries and their licences, so there are no surprises later.
• Delivery of source code throughout the project, not only at the end.
• Confidentiality for your idea, data and business information.

Accounts in your name from day one

Some accounts are painful to move later, so create them in your company's name at the start and give the developers access:

• Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts. Your apps should be published under your own name.
• Cloud accounts, such as Google Cloud, AWS or Firebase, with billing on your card.
• Code repository, in your organisation on GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket.
• Domain and DNS, email sending, SMS and payment gateway accounts.
• Design files, in your team's workspace.

What to receive at handover

• The repository with its full history, and instructions to build and release the apps.
• Environment settings and secrets, handed over securely, never by email.
• Design files and a list of fonts, icons and images with their licences.
• API documentation and an overview of the architecture.
• Admin access to every account, with the developer's access removed if you part ways.

How we handle it

At Humanoid Systems, once a project is paid for, the source code, the designs and the store listings belong to you. We set up the accounts in your name, commit code to a repository you control throughout the project, and hand over documentation that another team could pick up. You can see how we work on our work and concepts pages.

Talk to us if you are planning a build, or need help taking back control of an app another team built.