Want the IP? Up the Fee

I've written in the past about how risk is a price point, so that if a customer asks you to increase your limitation of liability, the most practical answer is to say, "No problem, and we'll increase our price accordingly."

The same is true for IPR.

If you produce IPR-rich deliverables for your customers (code, documents, methodologies, know-how etc) then, generally, you will retain ownership and grant a licence. The advantage of this approach is that it allows you to quote a lower price and that you build up a knowledge base.

If the customer then wants to have ownership of those deliverables, the easiest answer is "No problem, and we'll increase our price accordingly."

20th October 2026