Who owns the code when you hire a studio?
Published
You do. At Choie, once the fees for a deliverable are paid in full, the designs and the source code written for you are yours to use, modify, and distribute without restriction. This guide explains what that means in practice, what stays under third-party licences, and what to check in any studio's terms before you sign.
What you own, and from when
The clause in Choie's Terms of Use, section 7, reads:
When the fees for a deliverable are paid in full, you own the designs and the source code we create specifically for you, and you may use, modify, and distribute them without restriction. Until then, they remain ours and you have a licence to review them.
Three things follow. Ownership is per deliverable, so it transfers as each one is paid rather than only at the end of a project. It is complete: use, modify, distribute, no restriction, no licence back to the studio. And before payment you still get the work to review, so a dispute about a milestone never leaves you unable to see what was built.
What stays under other licences
No modern product is written from nothing. Frameworks, libraries, fonts, and hosted services come with their own licences, and a studio cannot transfer what it does not own. Choie's terms say so directly:
Some deliverables include third-party software, fonts, or libraries. These remain under their own licences, which we will identify when relevant. We also keep the right to reuse general know-how, techniques, and tooling that are not specific to your project.
In practice this means: open-source libraries keep their open-source licences, a paid font keeps the licence you or the studio bought, and the studio may use the same general approach on another project without copying your code. Ask any studio for the list of third-party components and their licences before launch. It is a normal request.
Code written with AI assistance
Choie uses AI to accelerate implementation. That does not change the ownership rule: the code delivered to you is a deliverable, and it becomes yours when its fee is paid. Senior review, architecture, and testing remain the studio's responsibility. How that works is described in how we use AI.
Your product in a portfolio
The work belongs to you, so showing it is your call. Choie shows or identifies client work publicly only with the client's written permission, and may otherwise describe its experience only in ways that do not identify the client or reveal confidential information. Confidential information stays confidential for three years after the engagement ends, and indefinitely for trade secrets.
What to check in any studio's agreement
- When ownership transfers. On payment of each deliverable, or only at the very end?
- How complete it is. Look for “use, modify, and distribute without restriction.” Be wary of a licence instead of ownership, or of the studio keeping a right to resell your product.
- Third-party components. Ask for the list and licences, and confirm none of them prevents commercial use.
- Where the code lives. Ask for repositories and accounts to be created in your organisation from the start, so ownership on paper matches access in practice.
- Portfolio rights. Confirm the studio needs your written permission before showing the work.
- What happens if you stop. Confirm you keep what you have paid for, and that unfinished work is handled by the same rule.
Choie's full terms are public: Terms of Use. Pricing and payment steps are on the pricing page.
Questions about ownership
Do I own the code Choie writes for me?
Yes. When the fees for a deliverable are paid in full, you own the designs and the source code created specifically for you, and you may use, modify, and distribute them without restriction. Until then they remain Choie's and you have a licence to review them.
Does that include the one-week prototype?
Yes. The rule covers every deliverable, including the coded prototype from the Prove it week. Once its fee is paid, the prototype code is yours.
What do I not own?
Third-party software, fonts, and libraries used in the work stay under their own licences, which Choie identifies when relevant. Choie also keeps the right to reuse general know-how, techniques, and tooling that are not specific to your project.
Can Choie show my product in its portfolio?
Only with your written permission. Choie may describe its general experience in a way that does not identify you or reveal confidential information.