Contact the IP team before you share new work
If something you made may be new, may be reused by others, or is headed for an external audience, ask the IP team early. This page shows when to ask, what to bring and where to send the details. The examples use Northstar Works, a fictional organization. Your organization's approved policy decides what applies to your work.
Which route fits your question?
Pick the closest match. If none fits, asking the IP team is still reasonable.
New method, feature or reusable tool
- A new technical method, workflow or algorithm
- A product feature or internal tool other teams may adopt
- A prototype you plan to demonstrate or pilot outside your team
Creative or written work
- Training material, documentation, designs or templates
- Work made with a contractor, partner or another organization's input
- Work you want to publish or present under your own name
Third-party software dependencies
- Adding a library or package to a project
- Checking licence terms for code you did not write
- Use your organization's open-source process for these requests
When to ask and how to get ready
Early questions are easier to answer than late ones. Five steps, in order.
-
1
Raise the question before anything goes public
Contact the IP team before a conference demo, publication, customer preview or release commitment, where practical. Sharing first can limit your options. -
2
Summarize the work in plain language
Write two or three sentences on what it is, what problem it addresses and how it differs from what you did before. Say whether it is an idea, a prototype or already in use. -
3
List the contributors and inputs
Name everyone who helped, including contractors and other teams. Note any outside tools, data or materials you built on. -
4
Note your sharing plans and any agreements
Give the date and audience for any planned demo, paper or customer conversation. Mention customer, partner, university or grant agreements that may apply. -
5
Send the details confidentially
Use your organization’s approved confidential intake route. If the route is unclear, ask the IP Intake Team before sending sensitive material. For jurisdiction- or role-specific questions, ask the IP team and follow your approved local guidance.
Information to prepare
A short, complete summary saves a round of follow-up questions.
- What it is, in two or three plain sentences
- The problem it solves and what is different from before
- Its stage: idea, prototype, in pilot or in use
- The team and project it belongs to
- Every contributor, including contractors and other teams
- Third-party tools, datasets or materials you built on
- Where and when the work was developed
- Any earlier description of the work outside the team
- Date, place and audience of any planned demo or publication
- Customer, partner, university or grant agreements involved
- Who needs an answer, and by when
- Anything you have already shared externally
Worked example: a demo with a date
A fictional case at Northstar Works
A Northstar Works product team has built a reusable method that cuts duplicate data entry between two internal systems. They plan to show it at an industry event in six weeks.
What the creator does
- Contacts the IP team before the demo, not the week of it.
- Summarizes the method and the problem it addresses in a few sentences.
- Lists the four contributors, including one contractor, and the open-source components used.
- Gives the planned demo date and notes that a partner agreement was signed last year.
- Asks one question: "What review is appropriate before we present?"
What this page does not decide
The IP team reviews the request and explains next steps. Whether the work belongs to the organization, or whether any protection applies, is not settled here.
A contrasting case
Another employee drafts a routine internal status document. It is not new and not meant for reuse, so there is probably nothing to disclose. If you are unsure, asking is still reasonable. A short question costs less than a late one.