Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Ownership definition

What does Ownership mean? In legal practice, ownership describes who has the bundle of rights over property: to possess, use, enjoy income, exclude others, transfer, or charge it, subject to law and third‑party rights (such as easements/servitudes, leases and security interests). It is a descriptive expression used across contexts (land, goods, shares, intellectual property), rather than a single statutory definition, though related concepts are defined in legislation and case law (for example, beneficial ownership in anti‑money laundering/PSC regimes and land registration rules). Across England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, lawyers commonly distinguish legal ownership (title shown on a register, deed or share register) from...

Software and IT assets: allocating IP between customer and supplier, ownership, co-ownership, licensing and practical management

Published by a LexisNexis TMT expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note provides a concise overview of the legal and practical considerations around Ownership of software and other information technology (IT) assets, and outlines alternative models such as co-ownership and licensing. It also offers practical pointers for effectively managing and handling an organisation’s IT assets. In addition, it signposts options for structuring rights, including shared ownership and licence arrangements.

Types of IT assets and associated Intellectual Property Rights/other rights

An organisation’s IT asset portfolio comprises all IT systems, solutions, applications and technical Know-how that the organisation deploys to carry out specific business functions or deliver services to its customers.

At a more granular level, the portfolio will cover discrete elements such as the following:

software
hardware and other infrastructure, eg servers, data centres and network equipment
platforms
networks

These resources sit behind the technology that a customer or other users will see when they, for example, access services or data via the business’ website or online database. Each of these assets (aside from any physical property) may encompass a range of intellectual property rights (IPRs)...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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