Who owns the code when you hire a studio?

You own the code only if the contract says so. In many countries the default is that whoever writes software owns the copyright, even when someone else paid for it. So ownership has to be assigned to you in writing, and the accounts the product runs on have to be in your name.

What exactly should I own?

Four things, and people usually remember only the first.

• The source code. In a repository you can open, not a zip file sent at the end.
• The design files. The working files, not exported pictures.
• The accounts. The Apple and Google developer accounts, the hosting, the domain and the database.
• The data. Your customers and orders, with a way to export them.

What should the contract say?

• Assignment on payment. All rights in the work pass to you once each invoice is paid.
• Open-source and third-party parts are listed. Every product uses them. You should know which, and under what licence.
• The studio keeps only its general tools. It is normal for a studio to reuse its own starter code. It is not normal for it to keep a claim on your product.
• Confidentiality. What you tell the studio about your business stays with the studio.
• A handover clause. If you part ways, you get the code, files and passwords within a set number of days.

Why do the accounts matter so much?

Because whoever holds the account controls the product. If your app is published under the studio's Apple or Google account, moving it later needs their cooperation. Open the accounts yourself and invite the studio in. Apple charges $99 a year for a developer account (Apple) and Google charges $25 once (Google Play).

How do I check during the project, not after?

Ask for access to the repository in the first week and look at it once a month. You do not need to read code. You need to see that work is arriving regularly and that you can get in.

What does MadeReal do?

You own the designs, the code and the accounts at the end, and hosting is set up in accounts you own from the start. It is one of the rules we work by.

This is practical guidance, not legal advice. For a large contract, have a lawyer in your country read it.