Author: Aindrila Mitra

Most founders don’t think about data ownership until something breaks. A model leaks. A dataset gets shared. A partner claims rights you didn’t know you gave away. It never feels urgent—until it becomes the only thing that matters. That’s why protecting your data and model weights isn’t a “legal thing.” It’s a survival thing. Why…

Brand conflicts usually show up at the worst time. You’re getting ready to launch, investors are excited, your product finally feels real… and then a name check, a domain search, or a trademark scan hints that someone else might already be using something close to your brand. Suddenly the thing that was supposed to carry…

Most founders think patent diligence is something only investors worry about. But the truth is, it’s one of the fastest ways for you to understand the real strength of your own invention. And when you know how to read that strength, you can shape your product roadmap, protect your edge, and avoid being blindsided by…

When a company files a patent, the story isn’t always finished. Sometimes the most important signals hide in what comes next—continuations, divisionals, and CIPs. Buyers, investors, and partners often miss these clues, but they matter. They show whether a founder is still building, still protecting, and still betting on the long-term value of the invention.…

When a startup is heading into a big deal—whether it’s a funding round, a partnership, or an acquisition—everyone wants to know one thing: Is the IP solid, or is there a hole hiding in the walls? Most founders only find out the answer when it’s too late, usually during due diligence, when the other side’s…

Investors will ask for many things, but few topics make founders pause like source code escrow and audit rights. The moment these words appear in a term sheet or due-diligence request, you can almost feel the air change. It sounds technical, risky, and maybe even a bit unfair. But here’s the truth: investors ask for…

When you build something new, every part of your company depends on one simple truth: people must trust that you actually own what you say you own. That’s what makes representations and warranties about intellectual property so powerful. They seem simple on paper, but they shape the safety of your deal, the value of your…

When your startup uses university tech or government-backed research, the rules behind that funding can shape what you can own, what you can control, and how strong your patents really are. Most founders hear words like Bayh-Dole or march-in rights and think, “That sounds like legal noise someone else can worry about.” But these rules…

Building something new always sounds exciting—until you realize how many hands touch your product as it grows. You have customers who want custom features. You have suppliers who plug into your tech stack. You have partners who help you move faster. And every one of those relationships comes with a contract. Hidden inside those contracts…

Sometimes the smartest deals in tech don’t happen in a boardroom… they happen in the fine print. And two tiny pieces of that fine print—field-of-use clauses and exclusivity clauses—can shape the entire future of your invention. They can open doors to new markets, or quietly shut them. They can help you move faster, or slow…