Intellectual property in Web3 is frequently overlooked until it becomes a dispute. Code ownership, smart contract rights, NFT licensing, and brand protection each raise distinct legal questions that must be resolved before a product goes to market, before a contributor leaves, or before an acquisition closes.
TLP Advisors advises on IP ownership, open-source compliance, NFT and digital art licensing, gaming and metaverse documentation, trademark strategy, and technology commercialisation for protocols, creators, gaming studios, and technology businesses operating in the digital asset space.
IP ownership audit covering source code, smart contracts, protocol code, front-end code, APIs, databases, brand assets, trademarks, logos, documentation, token-related content, NFT artwork, gaming assets, metaverse assets, and community-generated materials.
Founder, employee, contractor, and contributor IP assignment documentation covering invention assignment, copyright assignment, moral rights waivers, confidentiality obligations, open-source contribution rules, and work-product ownership.
Software development agreements covering source code ownership, deliverables, acceptance testing, maintenance, vulnerability remediation, audit cooperation, open-source restrictions, escrow arrangements, and security obligations.
Open-source software review covering protocol code, smart contracts, SDKs, APIs, libraries, front-end repositories, developer tools, licence compatibility, copyleft risk, attribution obligations, and commercial-use restrictions.
NFT creation and sale documentation covering mint terms, marketplace terms, creator terms, royalty terms, metadata terms, commercial-use rights, transfer restrictions, takedown rights, refund mechanics, and consumer disclosures.
NFT and digital art licensing framework covering artwork rights, metadata, commercial-use rights, marketplace use, sublicensing, royalties, revocation rights, infringement procedures, and collector rights.
Gaming and metaverse asset documentation covering in-game assets, tokenised items, digital collectibles, user-generated content, creator economies, marketplace terms, royalty splits, IP licences, and platform rules.
Trademark and brand protection strategy covering name clearance, filing strategy, domain names, social media handles, token ticker risk, impersonation response, exchange listing brand use, counterfeit projects, and enforcement.
Technology commercialisation agreements covering technology licences, white-label agreements, API terms, platform licence agreements, brand licences, data licences, integration agreements, strategic partnerships, and IP provisions in investment or acquisition documents.
Ready to protect and commercialise your IP?
Investigations and enforcement, answered
Questions we work through with businesses and individuals facing regulatory inquiries or enforcement proceedings.
The first step is to preserve all relevant documents and communications and to establish legal privilege over the response strategy. The scope of the request must be understood before any response is prepared. Legal advice should be obtained before any documents are produced or any communications are made with the regulator.
UAE regulators typically specify a response deadline in the notice itself, which can range from a few days for urgent matters to several weeks for information requests. Deadlines can sometimes be extended by engaging proactively and explaining why more time is needed. Missing a deadline without explanation is treated seriously and can escalate the matter. If you have received a notice with a tight deadline, contact us immediately.
Most UAE financial services frameworks impose an obligation on licensed entities to notify the regulator of material breaches, significant operational incidents, and certain AML/CFT events promptly after they become aware of them. A breach assessment memo identifies the reporting obligations triggered by a specific incident.
Yes, in many cases. On-chain tracing can identify wallet addresses to which assets have been transferred, exchange touchpoints where assets may have been converted, and bridge flows used to move assets across chains. Once located, assets can be preserved through exchange cooperation, court-ordered freezing orders, or law enforcement action.
DIFC and ADGM courts each offer English-language common law proceedings and have established jurisdiction over digital asset disputes with a sufficient nexus to those jurisdictions. Onshore UAE courts have jurisdiction over disputes involving UAE-incorporated entities and UAE-located assets.
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