What there is to own
Custom AI software is more than code. When a project ends, these are the things that have to be yours:
| Item | Where it should live | What goes wrong if it does not |
|---|---|---|
| Source code | A repository in your organisation | You cannot change or move the software |
| Cloud account | Your account, your billing | The vendor can switch the system off |
| Model accounts | Your account with the model provider | Usage, keys and data sit with the vendor |
| Domains | Registered to you | The vendor controls your address |
| Data and evaluation sets | Your accounts and repository | You lose the proof of how well it works |
| Documentation and runbook | Your repository | The next team starts from zero |
Ownership is set at the start
Most ownership fights happen at the end, when the vendor holds the repository and the accounts and asks for a final payment or a handover fee. The way to avoid that is to create everything in your name before the first line of code is written.
What the contract should say
Three things, in writing. The work created for you is assigned to you, or licensed to you exclusively where the law does not allow an assignment, as in Germany and Austria. The repository and accounts are in your organisation. Access ends when you remove it. Without the first point, the author of the code can keep the copyright, which is the default in the US and in most of Europe for work by an outside contractor.
How this applies to us
Our third guarantee, word for word: “The repository, cloud account, model accounts, domains and documentation are created under the client’s organisation at kickoff. Infinity Systems works inside them with access the client grants and can revoke. There is no handover to negotiate and no lock-in.” The week-one exit uses the same rule: if you stop after the first weekly demo, you pay the deposit and keep everything built so far.