IP, Data & AI Governance

In a technology company, most of the value is intangible and much of it is undocumented. Patents unfiled, trade secrets protected by habit rather than process, training data acquired without a clear licence, and model outputs whose ownership nobody has established. All of it surfaces in diligence, usually at the worst moment.

This unit gets those positions in order. Patent and trade secret strategy, including the decision about which to use, since disclosure through filing is not always the right trade. Portfolio management, freedom-to-operate analysis, and licensing in both directions.

On the data side: data protection, lawful basis, international transfers, and the retention questions that model training makes considerably harder. AI governance covers training data provenance, rights in model outputs, third-party model terms that may prohibit exactly what you are doing, and the documentation the AI Act and enterprise buyers both require.

The test we apply is whether a position survives an acquirer’s counsel, not whether it is arguable.

Typical mandates: an IP strategy and filing programme, IP and data diligence before a raise or a sale, an AI governance framework, a data protection review, or a licence negotiation in or out.