At the end, what do you receive back?

Many business owners only think about this question when everything is about to close. That is too late to negotiate. A good handover starts at the moment of signing the contract, not when sending a farewell email. Below are three groups of assets you should receive in full and points that are easily overlooked in practice.

Three groups must receive back

Not all partners deliver according to the same standards. Dividing them into three clear groups helps you understand what you are missing:

• Digital assets: source files of the logo, identity system, design publications, in an open format, not locked in the partner's proprietary software. Additionally, there should be uncompressed original images and all publications produced during the collaboration. As for fonts, images, and music purchased with licenses, the licenses are usually tied to the purchaser, so you need to know which licenses must be repurchased in your company's name.
• Access rights and logins: brand portal account, passwords, and management rights for all platforms that the partner has operated on your behalf. Equally important: confirmation that the partner has revoked their access rights to your system after the handover is complete.
• Knowledge base and processes: brand usage guidelines, content operational processes, approval standards, notes on important design decisions. This group is often overlooked because it is not as "visible" as files. However, without it, your internal team will have to start learning from scratch or rely on the memory of the person who has left.

Ownership terms: establish from the beginning.

The Intellectual Property Law has a default provision when signing directly with the author (Article 39): ownership rights belong to the party commissioning the work unless the contract states otherwise, while personal rights still belong to the author. When signing with a studio as a legal entity, ownership rights are transferred to you through a transfer clause, and the transfer of authorship rights must be documented in writing. Therefore, the contract should clearly state who owns the rights and when they are transferred, and it should also clarify two legal points that are not self-explanatory: which files are to be handed over, and in what format.

In international practice, a similar mechanism is referred to as work-for-hire: a clause that assigns ownership rights of the works created in the contract to the client. This concept is from foreign law; in Vietnam, you should refer to Article 39 and the specific contract, and consult a lawyer if necessary.

The exit clause clarifies when the client takes ownership of the digital asset. If the partner follows a work-for-hire mechanism and the contract assigns rights to the client, the client has the right to take it.

According to DoHost

Deliverable format: editable is the standard

Receiving files that cannot be opened means you have not received them. Some partners deliver assets in a locked format within their own tools, possibly due to internal workflow processes or a lack of handover standards. Regardless of the reason, you are the one who suffers.

Common mistakes when delivering

• Receiving the final export while skipping the source files means you won't be able to make edits when needed.
• Without ownership clauses and a list of deliverables in the contract, disputes upon parting may not be amicable.
• Assets are within the partner's own tools; clients have never had direct access.
• Receiving all files but lacking a knowledge base and processes means the new team has to learn everything from scratch.
• Do not confirm that partners have revoked their access, exposing the system unknowingly.

This article is for reference. The scope, pricing, and specific commitments of Sinh Vũ are detailed in the proposal and signed contract.