If your company develops software, technical documentation, training materials, or any other creative work under a government contract, you may not own what you built. FAR 52.227-14 governs the government's rights in copyrighted works developed with federal funds, and the default rules are not contractor-friendly. Most contractors discover this problem at the worst possible moment, when they try to commercialize the work, license it to another customer, or defend against a government demand for unlimited rights.

Effectus advises contractors on copyright ownership, registration, chain-of-title, licensing, and enforcement across technology, defense, and media contexts. We help clients understand what they own, document it correctly, and negotiate license rights in technology development agreements with federal agencies before the contract is signed, not after the dispute starts.

Our copyright practice covers registration and recordation strategy, work-for-hire and assignment analysis, licensing and sublicensing structures, DMCA compliance, and infringement counseling. Our experience includes advising on complex copyright chain-of-title matters across multiple transfers, assignments, and works-for-hire arrangements, the same analytical rigor we apply to contractor IP documentation.