Is the source code your only IP? Can someone easily replicate your client list and market & sell to your target industry? How much of a role do sales & marketing play in your business? Once you de�ne what exactly is your IP, it’s easier to restrict access.

UPLOAD CODE TO A SECURE SERVER

Make sure your source code is uploaded to a server in the US, your own server, or the server of a

partner company in the US, at least once a week — if not more often. This includes all code that is

currently being written. This way, you always have the latest code available to you. Monitor what is

actually being uploaded.

MAKE SURE VENDORS UNDERSTAND IP

Inquire how intellectual property is viewed in the partner’s company. Do they teach about IP and how it should be protected in-house?

ENSURE PROPER LEGAL PROTECTION

Ensure, at a minimum, that both you and your technology partner sign NDAs directly with each of

your team members. Look at contracts between the 3rd party company and their employees to

determine who owns the work they are doing for you. How will rights be assigned back to you?

RESPECT DATA PRIVACY

With 99.9% of our clients, we have no access to user data or production — nor do we want it. Any DB data that is used or sent to us for testing is sanitized of all personal information beforehand, so we get access only to code, PM tools, and bug tracking. Further access is strictly need-to-know. When code security is an issue, we upload code daily to the client’s server.

FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS. WE KNOW BECAUSE

SOFTJOURN WORKS WITH THEM

If you would like to talk about this further and how we work with other companies around IP issues,

contact Softjourn at +1.510.744.1528 .

CONTRAC T

IDENTIFY YOUR IP

Intellectual property when working with 3rd party developersIntellectual property (IP) can become an issue when you work with third party providers, whether your employees or someone else’s. These steps can help protect your IP and keep source code safe.