Technology Escrow: Make more sales and protect your own intellectual property

Address Your Clients' Concerns

When technology developers license their products, the issue of continued technical support is always a concern. Most technology users wouldn't sign a license agreement without maintenance and support coverage. The risks are too high if the technology vendor were to go out of business or no longer provide support for other reasons.

An Iron Mountain technology escrow contract, signed during license negotiations, is like an insurance policy for your clients. As a trusted, neutral third party, Iron Mountain administers source code and other maintenance materials for you and your clients, who would obtain access to those materials only under specific and controlled circumstances that you can predetermine in a standing escrow account.

Protection for Technology Developers

Technology developers can appreciate the benefits of technology escrow protection, too. Since Iron Mountain, as a neutral third party, dates and time-stamps all materials deposited into escrow, an escrow account creates an audit trail of the development of technology and provides independent validation of the ownership of the related intellectual property.

Iron Mountain has no vested interest in defending one party over another and, therefore, has the trust of the courts to vouch for the existence and ownership of your intellectual property. This is a growing concern. Stolen trade secrets cost the Fortune 1000 alone more than $50 billion a year, and as intellectual property plays a more dominant role in determining corporate worth, the importance of protecting it cannot be overstated. Let our experts help you learn how technology escrow can protect your intellectual property assets.

The Right Level of Protection

Iron Mountain provides various types of escrow arrangements to meet your unique requirements. In the two-party relationships, contracts are signed by the technology developer (depositor) and Iron Mountain, providing a basic level of escrow protection. Iron mountain's three-party relationships offer the highest level of escrow protection. They are signed by the depositor, the licensee (or beneficiary) and Iron Mountain. As part of every escrow arrangement, customers also have access to Iron Mountain's online account management tool to manage all of their escrow needs.