Intellectual Property (IP) Transfer Agreement (Germany) by Seedsummit

Open Legal LibraryUpdated 20 Oct 2025

The Seedsummit Transfer of Intellectual Property Rights and Grant of Usage Rights Agreement assigns all intellectual property and work results created by an employee or freelancer to the company, ensuring full ownership and usage rights. It includes provisions on prior works, moral rights waivers, open-source exclusions, inventions, proof obligations, and is governed by German law.

All information in this document is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice in individual cases nor an attorney-client relationship and cannot and is not intended to replace such advice. The content and documents on the website have been prepared for informational purposes only and are not legal advice. Transmission of the information is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Audience should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. The information contained herein is provided only as general information which may or may not reflect the most current legal developments. This information is not provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship and nor intended to constitute legal advice or to substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney licensed in your region.

Transfer of Intellectual Property Rights and Grant of Usage Rights

between

[company name]

- hereinafter referred to as “Company” -

and

[originator name]

- hereinafter also referred to as “Originator”

Definitions

If the terms defined below are used in this Agreement, they shall have the meaning stated below for purposes of this Agreement:

Parties”: means the Company and the Originator together.

Work Results": includes all work results, creations, inventions, findings, works, and other protectable performance results in the broadest sense, in the creation of which the Originator was, is, or will be involved at least partially in connection with his employment or freelance agreement as defined below with the Company.

Intellectual Property Rights”: means all registered or unregistered, filed or not (yet) filed intellectual property rights and commercial proprietary rights, in particular (without limitation) (A) all copyrights and related rights (ancillary copyrights), including but not limited to all rights to (i) literary works, (ii) pictorial works and motion pictures, (iii) scientific and technical drawings, (iv) computer programs and computer software, including any form of source code, object code and any other form of code as well as any algorithms underlying the code and any documentation, and (v) databases; (B) German, European and foreign trademarks and trademark applications; (C) German, European and foreign patents and patent applications, utility models and semiconductor topographies; (D) German design rights and Community design rights; (E) protected business and trade secrets and know how.

Preamble

The Originator is employed at the companyis an independent service provider (as a so-called Freelancer). Insofar, the Parties have a corresponding contractual relationship with each other , particularly based on the agreement dated [underlying agreement date].

Based on this contractual relationship, the Originator provides services to the Company. Work Results may be the result of these services.

With this Agreement any Intellectual Property Rights of the Originator in respect to all previous, current, and future Work Results, particularly, without limitation, any copyrights, are transferred to the Company to the broadest extent permitted by law.

This applies in particular, but not exclusively, to the following previously created Work Results

[describe previously created work results]

Transfer of rights

This is a preview. The full template is free on GitLaw.

5.0 out of 5 on Google

Read reviews

As seen in

Law360
Artificial Lawyer
Insider
Axios Pro
San Francisco Business Times
Built In
Startups Magazine
Business Reporter
Tech.eu
Jurisdiction
Germany
Source
Intellectual Property (IP) Transfer Agreement (Germany) by Seedsummit
from Seedsummit
Document info
HTML document. Document created on Fri Sep 26th, 2025. Last updated on Mon Oct 20th, 2025.
This document is public
Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (Attribution).
Come to agreements faster
Write, review, negotiate, and manage legal contracts
Related documents
France
Intellectual Property (IP) Agreement: Contrat de Transfert de PI (Fondateur & Mandataire Social) (France) by Seedsummit
Transfer the ownership of all software, inventions, and creative works from a company founder or corporate officer to their startup. This template establishes that the Société owns all intellectual property created during the founder's tenure and specifically references the French Intellectual Property Code.
Updated 13 Aug 2026
Digital Image License by EasyLegalDocs
This digital image license allows a creator to grant non-exclusive rights for the use of an image in advertising, publications, and video. It establishes a royalty fee payment and ensures the creator retains all ownership and copyright title.
Updated 13 Aug 2026
US
Content Removal Policies Submitting Content Removal Requests (GitHub)
This guidance document explains how to request the removal of infringing or private content from a hosting platform. It outlines specific procedures for DMCA copyright takedowns, trademark disputes, and the removal of confidential private information.
Updated 13 Aug 2026
India
Agreement between Author and New Publisher (India).docx
This template establishes a legal agreement between an author and a new publisher in India for the publication of a literary work. It defines the transfer of rights, royalty payments, and editorial control for a book's production and distribution.
Updated 13 Aug 2026
India
Agreement of License Between Trade Mark Owner and a Manufacturer (India).docx
This template establishes a licensing arrangement where a Trade Mark Owner grants a Manufacturer the right to apply specific trademarks to products. It defines the scope of use, quality control standards, and royalty payment obligations for manufacturing operations in India.
Updated 13 Aug 2026
India
Application for the Registrar's Approval of a Proposed Assignment or Transmission (Form TM-24) (India).pdf
Form TM-24 is a statutory application used in India to request the Registrar of Trade Marks' approval for the proposed assignment or transmission of a registered trademark. It is specifically used when the transfer is intended without the goodwill of the business or for trademarks used in the same goods or services.
Updated 13 Aug 2026

Frequently asked questions

A template isn't binding on its own - like any contract, it becomes binding once it's properly completed and signed. Templates in our curated library are professionally drafted for US or UK law; review any template before you sign it.

Yes. Chat with GitLaw to edit any section, or make changes directly in the editor.

Yes, read about team plans here.

Describe what you need in the chat and GitLaw will draft it for you.

Templates in our curated library are professionally drafted for US or UK law. The wider library comes from the GitLaw community and public sources - a solid starting point, but check any template fits your situation before you rely on it.

Mostly US and UK law. Some templates use general commercial terms that work across jurisdictions, and many note which law they're written for.

It depends on the situation. Templates work well for routine business agreements. For anything involving significant money, complex IP, employment, or areas you're unsure about, it's worth getting professional advice before you sign. GitLaw provides templates and tools, not legal advice.

Open any template in GitLaw and describe the change you want in the chat — 'make clause 4 mutual' or 'add a 30-day notice period', for example. GitLaw drafts the revised language and shows it as a suggested edit. You accept, reject, or keep editing from there.

Yes. Upload a Word, PDF, or Markdown file and GitLaw will open it in the editor. You can review, edit, or chat with GitLaw about it the same way you would with any template from the library.

Trusted by 5,000+ businesses

Nexus logoMlabs logoTechstars logo

From template to signed, in one place

Every template opens in an editor with an AI agent alongside it.

1

Open

Pick a template and open it. Nothing to download, and no credit card to start.

Free to open

2

Edit with AI

Describe your situation in chat and the agent adapts the wording, clause by clause.

Tracked changes you can review

3

Send and sign

Share it for negotiation, then collect signatures without leaving GitLaw.

eSign included

Built for your legal work,
with practicing lawyers

Trained on 5,500+ clauses and specialist areas of law. Built with a standards committee of independent lawyers.

As seen in

Law360
Artificial Lawyer
Insider
Axios Pro
San Francisco Business Times
Built In
Startups Magazine
Business Reporter
Tech.eu

Ready to get started?

No sales calls, no credit card. Just chat with GitLaw.

GitLaw provides templates and tools, not legal advice. Templates are a starting point, not a substitute for advice on your situation - for anything significant, speak to a qualified lawyer.