If two people are working together on a project, and create things like logos, brands, etc, and then at a later point they incorporate the business, what happens to the intellectual property?
Would the rights of the logo, for example, be automatically transferred to the corporation, or would the rights remain with the person that originally created it?
What about work done after incorporation? I assume that work belongs to the corporation?
Incorporation Intellectual Property
Would the rights of the logo, for example, be automaticallyNothing is transferred automatically. Usually, what is happening is that the founders assign (actively, as part of the incorporation process) all the IP relevant to the company.
transferred to the corporation, or would the rights remain with the
person that originally created it?
What about work done after incorporation? I assume that work belongsThat should be explicitly mentioned in the employment contract, so that the corporation would retain the IP created by its employers. Nothing is happening automatically.
to the corporation?
These are all legal issues which may become very hard to solve if not addressed properly from the start. You may end up having an individual owning this piece of IP, another owning that piece of IP, and both "blackmailing" you for licensing fees or share of profits - all just because you didn't put the right sentence in the right agreement.
Please do yourself a favor and have a lawyer with experience in startups' incorporating draft all the relevant papers for you. Don't do it yourself, not worth the money saved.