Orest Hlado

Lawyer for IT companies in LvivA lawyer for IT companies and startups

Code, data and users should be protected by contracts, not by word of honour. It usually surfaces at the worst moment: an investor asks you to show that the code belongs to the company, and half of it was written by contractors without a single clause on rights.

where all the arrows lead
FROM YOU
Product description
LANGUAGES
Ukrainian, English
CONSULTATION
From UAH 2,000
FORMAT
Online, from any country
Call
→ WHAT I DO

What I do for IT

01

Developer agreement

Transfer of rights to code, acceptance certificates, confidentiality.

 02

NDA

A non-disclosure agreement that works in court, not just on paper.

 03

Website documents

Public offer, privacy policy, consent to data processing.

 04

Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

For apps and SaaS, in English.

 05

Diia.City and IT company structure

Residency, founders' shares, preparing for investment.
A TERM WORTH KNOWING

The key part of a developer agreement is the clause on assignment of property rights. Without it the code may stay with the author, even if you paid.

ASSIGNMENT OF PROPERTY RIGHTS
Transfer of rights to the work product: code, design, texts. After that you, not the author, decide how it's used.
DONE
CASE No. 036

Software development agreement: Poland and Ukraine

TaskFormalise the work with developers from another country. What I didDrafted a software development services agreement. ResultAgreement ready for signing
Software development agreement between Poland and Ukraine →
→ HOW IT WORKS

How your code becomes yours

Your part: a product description
and the contracts you already have.
The rest of the arrows are mine.
i Audit I look at what's already signed and where the gaps are.
ii Plan Which documents you actually need, nothing extra.
iii Contracts I write or rewrite: developers, NDA, website documents.
iv Signing You and the contractors sign, electronically if you like. your signature here
v The rights are yours Code, design and data legally belong to the company.

Acceptance certificates after each stage record exactly what was handed over and when. Without them it's hard to prove which piece of code became yours.

→ WHEN YOU NEED IT

People usually come to me in one of four situations

i

Hiring developers

Freelancers, sole proprietors, contractors from other countries. Without a rights transfer clause the code may stay with the author.

ii

Launching a website or app

Selling or collecting contacts? You need a public offer, a privacy policy and consent to data processing.

iii

Preparing for investment

An investor will check who owns the code and the brand. Better to find the gaps before they do.

iv

Sharing secrets with the team

Client base, finances, technology. A one-sentence NDA from the internet won't help here.

Not sure your situation is on this list? Write to me, we'll figure it out in 15 minutes.

→ PRICING

How much it costs

I give the exact price once I see what you already have. Sometimes a few edits are enough, rather than new contracts.

Consultation

from UAH 2,000
30 minutes
Audit of what you already have
Document plan
Choose →
most popular

Developer agreement

from €150
Transfer of rights to code
Acceptance certificates
NDA included
In Ukrainian or English
Choose →

Website documents

from €150
Public offer
Privacy policy
Consent to data processing
Choose →
→ IN DETAIL

Lawyer for an IT company: which documents you need

Developer agreements and transfer of rights to code

By default, rights to code arise with whoever wrote it. For the code to belong to the company, the developer agreement must include a clause on assignment of property rights, and an acceptance certificate should be signed after each stage. Authorship stays with the developer, and that's fine: what matters for the business are the property rights.

An NDA that actually protects

A one-sentence template NDA gives you almost nothing in court. A working NDA names the specific confidential information, describes how it's shared and marked, lasts longer than the main contract and sets liability for breach.

Documents for a website or app

Does the site sell something or collect contacts? Then it needs a public offer, a privacy policy, consent to the processing of personal data, seller details and return terms. For apps and SaaS in English, that's Terms of Service and a Privacy Policy.

Developers abroad

Working with contractors from Poland or other countries? The contract has to set the governing law, language and currency. I drafted one like this for work between Poland and Ukraine.

An IT startup will also need company registration and a trademark for the product name. Hiring foreign developers in Ukraine? Then you'll need a work permit and a residence permit.

→ PEOPLE OFTEN ASK

Questions about IT law

didn't find yours? just ask
Who owns the code written by a contractor?

To whoever the rights were transferred to under the contract. Without that clause the author may remain the owner, even if you paid.

We have an NDA from the internet. Is that enough?

Most often not. A court will ask which information exactly you treated as confidential and how you protected it. A one-sentence template doesn't answer that.

What documents does a website need?

If the site sells or collects contacts: a public offer, a privacy policy, consent to data processing, seller details and return terms.

The developer is abroad. Does that change anything?

Yes: you need to choose the governing law and the language of the contract. The principle of transferring rights is the same.

→ FURTHER READING

Articles for IT

15 October 2026 · 3 min read Developer agreement: what to check so the code is yours Read → 15 October 2026 · 2 min read An NDA that actually protects: 4 essential elements Read → 15 October 2026 · 2 min read 4 documents without which a website operates outside the law Read →

Send me the contract, and I'll tell you if the code is really yours

I'll take a look and reply within one working day.