Last reviewed: 5 October 2026
Paying for a website or software platform does not, by itself, answer every ownership question. Your business may own some elements, license others and depend on accounts controlled by a founder or developer. Before raising investment, selling the business or changing suppliers, establish exactly what the company owns and can continue using.
The UAE’s copyright framework protects qualifying original works, including software and other specified digital materials. [1] But a working product is usually a collection of different assets and rights. The legal review should follow those individual components rather than treating “the platform” as one undivided object.
Map the assets and the people who created them
List source code, interface designs, written content, photographs, databases, logos, training materials and technical documentation. Add domain names, hosting accounts, repositories, app-store accounts and third-party subscriptions. Operational access and intellectual-property ownership are connected, but they are not the same thing.
For each component, identify its creator, creation date, contract and intended owner. Record whether it was built before incorporation, during employment, under a development agreement or using an external licence. Where several developers contributed, establish the chain of rights through subcontractors as well.
An illustrative startup may have code written by its founder, design work supplied by an agency and an AI feature delivered through an external API. Calling the result “our proprietary platform” does not explain which rights the company holds in each part.
Check founder and employee contributions
Do not assume that incorporating a company automatically transfers everything a founder previously created. Review whether existing code, branding and other assets were assigned or licensed to the company. If the arrangement was informal, document the position before a financing or ownership dispute makes the issue harder to resolve.
Article 28 of the UAE Copyright Law contains rules addressing works created for another person and works created in an employment context. Rights may belong to the commissioning party or employer under the relevant conditions, subject to the applicable agreement and circumstances. [2] It would therefore be inaccurate to say that every freelancer always retains copyright, or that employers automatically own every personal project an employee creates.
Use written agreements to reduce uncertainty. Define the relevant work, ownership arrangements and rights to use, modify and commercialise it. Address earlier materials and permitted third-party components. Where an assignment is needed, have its scope and formal requirements checked rather than relying on a generic statement that “all IP belongs to the company”.
Read development contracts beyond the ownership clause
A supplier may reserve ownership of reusable libraries, templates or tools while transferring project-specific work. That can be commercially acceptable if the company receives the licences it needs. The issue is whether those rights support the intended business model and survive the supplier relationship ending.
Ask whether the company can appoint a replacement developer, modify the product, host it elsewhere, grant customer access and transfer relevant rights in a business sale. Identify any restrictions, recurring fees or consents required. An ownership clause is less useful if essential components cannot lawfully be used after termination.
Plan the handover in the contract. Include source files, build instructions, documentation, domain administration, backups and credentials transferred through a secure process. Stage payments against agreed deliverables and acceptance criteria. Do not wait until a disagreement to ask where the only working copy is stored.
Treat AI and third-party content separately
An AI-enabled product may depend on model access, datasets, open-source software and generated outputs. Review the actual terms for each service and version used. Commercial permission to use an output should not be confused with a guarantee that it attracts copyright protection or is free of third-party claims.
Human authorship, originality, source materials and the circumstances of creation can affect the analysis. Avoid making a blanket promise that all AI-generated content is exclusively owned. Keep records of meaningful human contributions and review important outputs before using them in branding, products or customer deliverables.
Likewise, having access to a dataset does not necessarily permit using it to train a model or transferring it to customers. Check contractual permissions and applicable privacy obligations. Keep a register of external components, licences and renewal dependencies so the technical team and legal reviewer can assess the same product.
Practical ownership checklist
- Inventory the product’s creative, technical and operational assets.
- Identify creators and obtain the relevant agreements.
- Review founder contributions made before incorporation.
- Check employee, agency and subcontractor arrangements.
- Separate assigned rights from licensed third-party materials.
- Verify AI, data and open-source permissions for intended uses.
- Secure company-controlled access and an effective exit handover.
An IP valuation cannot repair a missing chain of ownership. Establish what can legally be transferred or licensed first, then coordinate any valuation, accounting and corporate approvals required for the transaction.
For a review of IP ownership and technology contracts, contact Prosperiti about intellectual property advisory.
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This article provides general information. Ownership and transfer requirements depend on the work, agreement and applicable law, including any cross-border elements.
Official sources
[1] UAE Government — Intellectual property
[2] Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021 — Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, including Article 28
[3] Abu Dhabi Intellectual Property Unit — What is copyright