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BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL LAW · INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & LICENSING
Protect the ideas, content, know-how and brand assets that create business value.
Clear ownership. Controlled use. Better commercial leverage.
Canterbury Legal helps businesses identify, document and commercialise intellectual property through practical ownership, confidentiality and licensing arrangements.
Clarify ownership before value is created around it
Intellectual property issues are often hardest to fix after a product launches, a contractor leaves or a commercial relationship breaks down. Clear ownership and licence terms are easier to establish at the beginning.
Document the rights before they become valuable enough to fight over.
We can help with…
- IP ownership and assignment agreements
- licensing arrangements
- confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
- contractor and employee IP provisions
- commercial use and transfer of IP assets
Protect ownership and control commercial use
How we help with intellectual property.
Ownership
Clarify who owns important IP and how that ownership is documented.
Assignments
Transfer IP rights clearly when assets, businesses or projects change hands.
Licensing
Set terms for how IP can be used, where, for how long and on what commercial basis.
Confidentiality
Protect sensitive information and know-how in commercial relationships.
People & contractors
Address IP ownership in employment and contractor arrangements.
Commercialisation
Support the legal agreements behind monetising and sharing valuable IP.
Intellectual Property & Licensing
People who can help.
Commercial legal support for ownership, confidentiality and licensing arrangements.
What happens next.
- We identify the IP involved and the commercial objective.
- We clarify current ownership and any gaps in documentation.
- We design the legal arrangement for transfer, use or protection.
- We prepare and negotiate the documents with the relevant parties.
- The rights and obligations are documented so commercial use is clear.
Related business services
Commercial contracts & negotiation
Build IP provisions into broader commercial agreements.
Sale & purchase of businesses
Address IP ownership and transfer in business transactions.
Business structuring
Align valuable IP with the wider ownership structure.
Useful commercial IP insights
Practical guidance on ownership, contracts, licensing and commercial protection.
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Clear ownership. Controlled use. Commercial value protected.
If intellectual property is central to a project, product or transaction, talk with our commercial team before ownership or use becomes unclear.
Phone: +64 3 377 0792
Send enquiry.
Frequently asked questions.
Ownership depends on the circumstances, the type of IP and the contracts in place. It should not be assumed, particularly where contractors or external collaborators are involved.
A licence allows another party to use intellectual property on defined terms without necessarily transferring ownership. The agreement can set scope, territory, duration, fees and restrictions.
Yes. Clear contractual provisions can reduce uncertainty over who owns work created during an engagement and what each party may use afterward.
Yes, but the transaction documents should identify the relevant IP and deal properly with assignment, third-party licences and any required consents.
We can advise on the contractual and commercial aspects of brand and IP protection and coordinate with specialist trade mark or patent advisers where registration expertise is required.