Intellectual Property and Work Product Policy

Organization: Igzibo Engineering Solutions, Inc.
Version: 1.1
Status: Living policy
Effective Date: September 16, 2026
Owner: Igzibo Engineering Solutions, Inc.
Review Cycle: At least annually and after material legal, contractual, organizational, or business changes.

1. Purpose

This policy establishes baseline requirements for identifying, protecting, using, creating, assigning, licensing, and disclosing intellectual property and work product in connection with Igzibo Engineering Solutions, Inc.

It is intended to protect Igzibo, its clients, personnel, contractors, vendors, research partners, and other rights holders.

This policy does not replace a contract that specifically establishes ownership, licensing, assignment, or other intellectual-property rights.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• Employees.
• Contractors.
• Consultants.
• Interns and temporary workers.
• R&D personnel.
• Software developers and engineers.
• Project managers.
• Recruiters and other personnel handling proprietary materials.
• Vendors and other representatives where contractually applicable.

It applies to intellectual property and work product created, received, accessed, modified, or used in connection with Igzibo business.

Definitions

Background IP (Background Intellectual Property): Intellectual property owned or controlled by a party before an engagement or developed independently outside the scope of an engagement.

Client IP: Intellectual property owned or controlled by a client.

Igzibo: Igzibo Engineering Solutions, Inc.

IP (Intellectual Property): Legally protectable creations or rights, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and related rights.

Open-Source Software: Software distributed under a license that grants specified rights to use, modify, and redistribute the software, subject to its license terms.

Third-Party IP: Intellectual property owned or controlled by a party other than Igzibo or the applicable client.

Work Product: Materials created or modified in connection with authorized Igzibo work, including software, documentation, designs, research, analyses, models, inventions, and other deliverables.

AI (Artificial Intelligence): A machine-based system capable of generating predictions, recommendations, decisions, content, or other outputs based on inputs.

R&D (Research and Development): Activities involving research, experimentation, prototyping, engineering investigation, or development of new or improved products, services, methods, or technologies.

4. Core Principles

Personnel must:

• Respect intellectual-property rights.
• Know whether material is owned, licensed, or otherwise authorized for use.
• Follow applicable contracts.
• Protect proprietary information.
• Maintain appropriate records of ownership and licensing.
• Avoid unauthorized copying or disclosure.
• Identify third-party and open-source dependencies.
• Avoid transferring client material between unrelated engagements.
• Report potential ownership or licensing conflicts.

5. Ownership

Ownership of work product is determined by applicable:

• Employment agreements.
• Contractor agreements.
• Intellectual-property assignments.
• Statements of work.
• Client agreements.
• Licenses.
• Research agreements.
• Other binding contracts.

This policy does not by itself transfer ownership of intellectual property.

Where ownership is uncertain, personnel must not assume that material belongs to Igzibo, a client, or the individual. The issue should be escalated for determination.

6. Igzibo Intellectual Property

Igzibo may own or control intellectual property including:

• Software.
• Source code.
• Libraries and frameworks.
• Designs.
• Technical documentation.
• Research.
• Prototypes.
• Algorithms.
• Engineering methods.
• Models and tooling.
• Business processes.
• Trademarks and branding.
• Trade secrets.

Igzibo intellectual property must be stored, shared, and used only for authorized purposes.

7. Client Intellectual Property

Client IP must be treated according to the applicable client agreement.

Personnel must not:

• Reuse client source code for another client without authorization.
• Include client confidential material in unrelated projects.
• Publish client-owned material.
• Use client data for R&D unrelated to the engagement.
• Use client material to train AI systems without authorization.
• Transfer client IP to personal accounts or repositories.

Client ownership and use restrictions control when established by contract.

8. Background IP

Personnel and contractors must identify relevant Background IP when required by an agreement.

Background IP should not be incorporated into a client deliverable without determining whether the applicable contract permits the use and what license or ownership terms apply.

9. Third-Party and Open-Source Material

Third-party and Open-Source Software must be used according to applicable license terms.

Personnel must consider:

• License obligations.
• Attribution requirements.
• Redistribution requirements.
• Notice requirements.
• Source-disclosure requirements.
• Compatibility with project licenses.
• Client restrictions.
• Security risks.

Unapproved third-party material must not be incorporated into a client deliverable when doing so could create material legal, contractual, security, or operational risk.

10. Software Development

Software created for Igzibo or a client must be maintained in approved repositories and development environments.

Personnel must not:

• Publish proprietary source code without authorization.
• Copy client source code into public repositories.
• Commit secrets.
• Introduce unapproved licensed material.
• Remove required copyright or license notices.
• Circumvent repository controls.
• Use personal repositories for organizational or client work without authorization.

11. Artificial Intelligence

AI-assisted work must comply with the AI and Generative AI Usage Standard.

Personnel must consider:

• Ownership.
• Licensing.
• Third-party rights.
• Confidentiality.
• Client restrictions.
• Training-data concerns.
• Open-source licenses.
• Attribution requirements.

AI output must not automatically be treated as free of third-party rights or licensing obligations.

12. Research and Development

R&D activities must maintain appropriate records of:

• Research objectives.
• Contributors.
• Source materials.
• Third-party components.
• Data sources.
• Experimental results.
• Significant modifications.
• Relevant ownership or licensing restrictions.

Research material must not be publicly released when doing so could compromise client rights, trade secrets, patent strategy, contractual obligations, or other protected interests.

13. Inventions and Discoveries

Potentially patentable or otherwise protectable inventions developed in connection with Igzibo work should be reported through the designated Igzibo process.

Personnel must not publicly disclose potentially protectable inventions before the appropriate ownership and protection decisions have been made.

14. Trademarks and Branding

Igzibo names, logos, marks, and branding must be used consistently with authorization.

Client or third-party trademarks must not be used in marketing, portfolios, websites, or public materials without appropriate authorization.

15. Confidentiality

Intellectual property may also constitute Confidential or Restricted Information.

Personnel must follow the Data Classification and Handling Standard and applicable confidentiality agreements.

16. Records and Evidence of Ownership

Igzibo should maintain appropriate records for material intellectual property, including:

• Ownership information.
• Licenses.
• Assignments.
• Contributor information.
• Relevant contracts.
• Open-source dependencies.
• Significant creation or release records.

Records should be sufficient to support reasonable ownership and licensing determinations.

17. Separation From Igzibo

When an engagement ends, personnel and contractors must:

• Return or transfer required work product.
• Return organizational or client materials when instructed.
• Stop using Igzibo and client proprietary information except as authorized.
• Remove organizational material from personal systems when instructed and legally permitted.
• Preserve records subject to legal or contractual requirements.

18. Disputes and Escalation

Potential disputes involving ownership, licensing, infringement, publication, or disclosure must be escalated before the material is released or used in a disputed manner.

Personnel must not independently resolve a material ownership dispute by publishing, deleting, transferring, or licensing the affected material.

19. Enforcement

Violations may result in corrective action, access restriction, removal from an engagement, contractual remedies, employment action where applicable, or legal action.

20. Exceptions

Exceptions require documented authorization and must identify the affected material, business purpose, risk, duration, and applicable safeguards.

21. References and Research Basis

This policy was informed by:

• U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 30, Works Made for Hire

Copyright ownership, patent rights, trademark rights, trade-secret rights, and work-made-for-hire treatment can depend on specific facts and contracts. This policy does not replace legal advice.

Version History